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<section article="gcp" article_name="Criminal Procedure" number="11-923" title_number="11" title_name="Victims and Witnesses" subtitle_number="9" subtitle_name="Victims and Witnesses -- Services">
  <level label="a">
    <text>The General Assembly finds that an increasing number of sexual assault offense victims in the State:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>lack necessary counseling and follow–up services; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>in some parts of the State, have only the help of extremely limited support services.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The purpose of this section is to provide for sexual assault crisis programs that address the special needs of sexual assault victims.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy shall help establish sexual assault crisis programs in the State.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The programs shall be developed and located to facilitate their use by alleged victims residing in surrounding areas.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The programs shall:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>provide specialized support services to adult and minor alleged victims of sexual assault crimes;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>include a hotline and counseling service;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>provide information to alleged victims of sexual assault crimes regarding:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>criminal prosecutions of sexual assault crimes;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>civil law remedies available to victims of sexual assault;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>sexual assault evidence collection; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>victim rights; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>participate in the sexual assault response team in each county in which the program regularly provides services.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy may award grants to public or private nonprofit organizations to operate the sexual assault crisis programs certified by the federally recognized State sexual assault coalition.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy shall regularly consult, collaborate with, and consider the recommendations of the federally recognized State sexual assault coalition regarding sexual assault crisis programs and policies, practices, and procedures that impact victims of sexual assault.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Money for the sexual assault crisis programs shall be as provided in the annual State budget and shall be used to supplement, but not supplant, money that the programs receive from other sources.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection, in each fiscal year the Governor shall include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of not less than $3,000,000 for the federally recognized State sexual assault coalition and sexual assault crisis programs funded under this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>In each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2019, the Governor shall include in the annual budget bill submitted to the General Assembly a General Fund appropriation for sexual assault crisis programs funded under this section in an amount not less than the appropriation made for the sexual assault crisis programs in the immediately preceding fiscal year, increased by not less than the percentage by which the projected total General Fund revenues for the upcoming fiscal year exceed the revised estimate of total General Fund revenues submitted by the Board of Revenue Estimates to the Governor under § 6–106(b) of the State Finance and Procurement Article.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <level label="i">
        <text>If a federally recognized State sexual assault coalition and sexual assault crisis program receive a new award of funds under the federal Victims of Crime Act for a purpose for which funds are appropriated under paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, the Governor may reduce the appropriation required under paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection by the amount received under the federal Victims of Crime Act.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The reduction authorized under this paragraph may not exceed 40% of the appropriation required under paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The Governor may not reduce the appropriation under this paragraph if the funds received under the federal Victims of Crime Act have been awarded on or before June 1, 2017, or are awarded for continuation of services previously funded by the federal Victims of Crime Act.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>An appropriation made under this subsection shall be allocated as follows:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>at least $100,000 to the federally recognized State sexual assault coalition;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>at least $100,000 to each of the sexual assault crisis programs provided for in subsection (d) of this section; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>the balance of the appropriation to be distributed to the sexual assault crisis programs provided for in subsection (d) of this section with each sexual assault crisis program receiving a proportionate share relative to the number of individuals who reside in the geographic area regularly served by the sexual assault crisis program.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <text>The Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy shall include a report on the sexual assault crisis programs in the annual report submitted by the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article.</text>
  </level>
</section>
