<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<subtitle article="gps" title_number="4" subtitle_number="16" title_name="Law Enforcement Funds and Grant Programs" subtitle_name="Protecting Against Hate Crimes Grant Fund">
  <section article="gps" article_name="Public Safety" number="4-1601" title_number="4" title_name="Law Enforcement Funds and Grant Programs" subtitle_number="16" subtitle_name="Protecting Against Hate Crimes Grant Fund">
    <level label="a">
      <text>In this subtitle, “Fund” means the Protecting Against Hate Crimes Grant Fund.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="b">
      <text>There is a Protecting Against Hate Crimes Grant Fund.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="c">
      <text>The purpose of the Fund is to make grants to nonprofit organizations, including faith–based organizations, to provide security enhancements to protect against hate crimes.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="d">
      <text>The Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy shall:</text>
      <level label="1">
        <text>administer the Fund;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>establish and publish procedures for the distribution of grants to nonprofit organizations, including faith–based organizations;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="3">
        <text>set aside a minimum of $1,000,000 each year for grants to faith–based organizations to increase security measures against faith–based hate crimes, with priority given to applicants that can demonstrate a high prevalence of hate crimes against members of and institutions representing the applicant’s faith; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="4">
        <text>submit to the General Assembly, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, a report on the distribution of funding before September 1 each year.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="e">
      <level label="1">
        <text>The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 7–302 of the State Finance and Procurement Article.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>The State Treasurer shall hold the Fund separately, and the Comptroller shall account for the Fund.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="f">
      <text>The Fund consists of:</text>
      <level label="1">
        <text>money appropriated in the State budget to the Fund;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>any interest earnings of the Fund; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="3">
        <text>any other money from any other source accepted for the benefit of the Fund.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="g">
      <text>The Fund may be used only to make grants to nonprofit organizations, including faith–based organizations, to provide security enhancements to protect against hate crimes.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="h">
      <level label="1">
        <text>The State Treasurer shall invest the money of the Fund in the same manner as other State money may be invested.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="2">
        <text>Any interest earnings of the Fund, including interest earnings under subsection (f) of this section, shall be credited to the Fund.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="i">
      <text>Expenditures from the Fund may be made only in accordance with the State budget.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="j">
      <text>Money expended from the Fund for grants to nonprofit organizations, including faith–based organizations, to provide security enhancements to protect against hate crimes is supplemental to and is not intended to take the place of funding that otherwise would be appropriated for providing nonprofit organizations, including faith–based organizations, with security enhancements to protect against hate crimes.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="k">
      <text>For fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, the Governor may include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $5,000,000 to the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </section>
</subtitle>