SB 901

This bill creates the Office of Violence Prevention in the Department of Health

Services, establishes certain duties with respect to the office, and directs the office

to award grants for community violence intervention. The bill provides that the

office shall coordinate and expand violence prevention activities and work to reduce

the incidences of interpersonal violence and reduce death by homicide. To achieve

these goals, the office must do all of the following:

1. Establish a violence prevention focus within DHS and any local unit of

government that receives funding from DHS.

2. Collaborate with other state agencies that are interested or active in the

reduction of interpersonal violence.

3. Integrate violence prevention education into existing and planned

state-funded substance use and abuse prevention programs.

4. Support the development and implementation of comprehensive,

community-based violence prevention initiatives within cities and towns across the

state.

5. Develop sources of funding beyond state revenues to maintain the office and

expand its activities.

6. Create a directory of existing violence prevention services and activities in

each county.

7. Develop and recommend additional wraparound and support services that

include both interpersonal violence and suicide prevention programs and are funded

by local governing bodies.

8. Support local organizations that provide violence prevention services in

seeking out and applying for grant funding in support of their initiatives.

9. With the support of DHS, develop and implement a public health strategy

for preventing violence.

10. Conduct a statewide public health campaign on the effect of violence,

strategies for violence cessation, and the use of alternative dispute resolution

techniques.

The bill directs the office to establish and implement a program to award grants

to support effective violence reduction initiatives in communities that are

disproportionately affected by violence. Grants are to be awarded competitively to

counties and cities that are disproportionately affected by violence, and to

community-based organizations that serve the residents of those counties or cities.

Where appropriate, the bill allows two or more counties or cities to submit joint

applications to provide more comprehensive solutions. Grantees must submit to the

office at regular intervals reports that describe the grantee's progress in achieving

the grant objectives.