SB 789

This bill requires the Department of Military Affairs to award grants to nonprofit religious organizations for security purposes. The bill sets a cap of $500,000 per recipient in each fiscal biennium. Under the bill, DMA must give priority to organizations that have been or are at risk of being a target of an incident or crime motivated by the actor’s bias against a religion or religious group. Under the bill, the grant money may be used to enhance the physical security of the organization’s location, to train or hire individuals to improve crisis response capabilities or provide security, and to prepare for an emergency. The bill also provides two positions at DMA to administer the grant program.