Rep. J.L. JOHNSON proposes the following Amendment No. to H.5150 as introduced by Ways & Means

(Doc Name COUNCIL\DG\5150C020.NBD.DG22.DOCX):

EXPLANATION:

Amend the bill, as and if amended, Part IB, Section 34, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL, by adding an appropriately numbered paragraph to read:

/ (DHEC: Community Violence Intervention and Prevention) (A)In the current fiscal year and from the funds appropriated DHEC, the department shall expend up to $200,000 to established the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention program.

(B) The program shall:

(1) establish, solicit, advertise, and administer the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program to support, expand, and replicate evidence -informed violence intervention and prevention initiatives;

(2) conduct program evaluations, in partnership with internal program staff, external stakeholders, and contractors with evaluation expertise, to determine the effectiveness of funded programs;

(3) develop data collection policies for funded programs and procedures for distributing that data to relevant state and academic researchers to aid research and analysis of community violence, health, economic development, and other metrics over time;

(4) provide technical assistance to funded violence intervention programs to implement national best practices and state data collection requirements; and

(5) collaborate and coordinate with other state agencies, including the South Carolina Attorney General's Crime Victim Services Division, to identify and apply for federal grants and other funding.

(C)T he Community Violence Intervention and Prevention program shall award funds on a competitive basis to nonprofit organizations and community-based partnerships that serve communities that are disproportionately impacted by violence to support, expand, and replicate effective, evidence-informed violence reduction initiatives. The grants must be used to:

(1) implement, expand, or enhance coordination between evidence -informed violence reduction initiatives including, but not limited to, hospital-based violence intervention, street outreach, and group violence intervention strategies that have demonstrated effectiveness at reducing homicides, gun violence, and group violence without contributing to mass incarceration;

(2) support the development and delivery of intervention -based strategies by entities that provide targeted services to individuals at risk of being victimized or engaging in violence to interrupt cycles of violence, reinjury, and retaliation; and

(3) support initiatives that primarily target a reduction of violence among individuals who have been identified as having the highest risk of perpetrating or being victimized by violence in the near future based on the best available medical and public health research.

(D )In awarding grants, the program shall prioritize applicants operating in areas disproportionately affected by firearm violence and whose proposals demonstrate the greatest likelihood of reducing homicides, gun violence, and group violence without contributing to mass incarceration. The division shall not require grant recipients to participate in the policing, enforcement, or prosecution of any crime as a condition of receiving a grant. /

Amend totals and titles to conform.