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<section article="gps" article_name="Public Safety" number="4-902" title_number="4" title_name="Law Enforcement Funds and Grant Programs" subtitle_number="9" subtitle_name="Miscellaneous Grant Programs">
  <level label="a">
    <text>There is a Maryland Violence Intervention and Prevention Program Fund.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The purpose of the Fund is to:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>support effective violence reduction strategies by providing competitive grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations to fund evidence–based health programs or evidence–informed health programs; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>evaluate the efficacy of evidence–based health programs or evidence–informed health programs funded through the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>The Executive Director shall administer the Fund in consultation with the Council.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <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, in conjunction with the Executive Director, shall account for the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Fund consists of:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>money appropriated in the State budget to the Fund;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>investment earnings of the Fund; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>money from any other source accepted for the benefit of the Fund.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>Subject to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, the Governor may annually appropriate up to $10,000,000 to the Fund.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The Governor shall annually include in the annual budget bill an appropriation composed of at least $3,000,000 in general funds to the Fund.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Fund shall be used in the following manner:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>to support effective violence reduction strategies by providing competitive grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations to fund evidence–based health programs or evidence–informed health programs;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>in an amount not less than 5% but not greater than 10% of the Fund, for the evaluation of the efficacy of evidence–based health programs or evidence–informed health programs awarded grants through the Fund; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>in an amount not greater than 4% of the Fund, for the following administrative costs:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>oversight of the Fund;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>public outreach and education about the Fund; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>technical assistance and best practice education for grantees.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The Fund may not be used to:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>supplant funding that would otherwise be available for violence intervention or prevention programs; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>fund suppression activities by law enforcement.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <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 shall be credited to the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <text>Expenditures from the Fund may be made only in accordance with the State budget.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <text>The accounts and transactions of the Fund shall be subject to audit by the Legislative Auditor as provided in § 2–1220 of the State Government Article.</text>
  </level>
</section>
