HB5650 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 38947 BDA 69084 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB5650

Introduced 2/9/2024, by Rep. Justin Slaughter

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

See Index

Amends the Reimagine Public Safety Act. Provides for the Community Organization Capacity Building Program. Provides that the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and the Illinois Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall allocate $10,000,000 for community organization capacity building. Provides for the issuance of $150,000 to $500,000 grants in specified reimbursable service categories to small, emerging community-based organizations in Reimagine Public Safety Act communities. Provides for the issuance of $300,000 to $500,000 grants in specified reimbursable service categories for existing Reimagine Public Safety Act grantees to build other smaller organizations' capacities. Provides for requirements to receive grants and permits the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, with the Illinois Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention, to create other criteria to award grants. Provides for the Community Violence Initiative Workforce Development Training Centers Program. Provides that the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and the Illinois Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall allocate $5,000,000 for Community Violence Initiative organizations. Provides for the issuance of $2,500,000 grants in specified reimbursable service categories for 2 Community Violence Initiative workforce training organizations. Provides that the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, with the Illinois Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention, shall create criteria to award grants. Provides for 4 prospective three-month grant payments based on specified criteria for any community-based organization funded by Restore, Reinvest, and Renew programs at the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, Climate and Equitable Jobs Act programs at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or Reimagine Public Safety Act programs at the Illinois Department of Human Services. Provides for peer assessment and evaluation for all grantees under the Reimagine Public Safety Act program. Defines terms. Amends the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act and authorizes the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to act according to the powers and duties granted it in the Reimagine Public Safety Act. States findings and purpose.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning safety.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. The General Assembly finds that:

(1) Communities most impacted by gun violence also lack well-resourced, community-based organizations to address the public health challenges associated with chronic concentrated gun violence.

(2) Residents impacted by gun violence sustain significant barriers that impede their ability to secure and maintain permanent employment in the mainstream workforce.

(3) A Community Violence Intervention Workforce Development Program must be created to build financial stability, better the quality of life, and counteract the effects of gun violence on residents, their families, and their communities.

(4) Community Violence Initiative Workforce Development Training Centers are necessary to train and educate Community Violence Initiative graduates and equip alumni with the tools, resources, and skillsets needed to sustain permanent employment.

Section 5. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act is amended by changing Section 7 as follows:

(20 ILCS 3930/7) (from Ch. 38, par. 210-7)

Sec. 7. Powers and duties. The Authority shall have the following powers, duties, and responsibilities:

(a) To develop and operate comprehensive information systems for the improvement and coordination of all aspects of law enforcement, prosecution, and corrections;

(b) To define, develop, evaluate, and correlate State and local programs and projects associated with the improvement of law enforcement and the administration of criminal justice;

(c) To act as a central repository and clearing house for federal, state, and local research studies, plans, projects, proposals, and other information relating to all aspects of criminal justice system improvement and to encourage educational programs for citizen support of State and local efforts to make such improvements;

(d) To undertake research studies to aid in accomplishing its purposes;

(e) To monitor the operation of existing criminal justice information systems in order to protect the constitutional rights and privacy of individuals about whom criminal history record information has been collected;

(f) To provide an effective administrative forum for the protection of the rights of individuals concerning criminal history record information;

(g) To issue regulations, guidelines, and procedures which ensure the privacy and security of criminal history record information consistent with State and federal laws;

(h) To act as the sole administrative appeal body in the State of Illinois to conduct hearings and make final determinations concerning individual challenges to the completeness and accuracy of criminal history record information;

(i) To act as the sole, official, criminal justice body in the State of Illinois to conduct annual and periodic audits of the procedures, policies, and practices of the State central repositories for criminal history record information to verify compliance with federal and state laws and regulations governing such information;

(j) To advise the Authority's Statistical Analysis Center;

(k) To apply for, receive, establish priorities for, allocate, disburse, and spend grants of funds that are made available by and received on or after January 1, 1983 from private sources or from the United States pursuant to the federal Crime Control Act of 1973, as amended, and similar federal legislation, and to enter into agreements with the United States government to further the purposes of this Act, or as may be required as a condition of obtaining federal funds;

(l) To receive, expend, and account for such funds of the State of Illinois as may be made available to further the purposes of this Act;

(m) To enter into contracts and to cooperate with units of general local government or combinations of such units, State agencies, and criminal justice system agencies of other states for the purpose of carrying out the duties of the Authority imposed by this Act or by the federal Crime Control Act of 1973, as amended;

(n) To enter into contracts and cooperate with units of general local government outside of Illinois, other states' agencies, and private organizations outside of Illinois to provide computer software or design that has been developed for the Illinois criminal justice system, or to participate in the cooperative development or design of new software or systems to be used by the Illinois criminal justice system;

(o) To establish general policies concerning criminal justice information systems and to promulgate such rules, regulations, and procedures as are necessary to the operation of the Authority and to the uniform consideration of appeals and audits;

(p) To advise and to make recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on policies relating to criminal justice information systems;

(q) To direct all other agencies under the jurisdiction of the Governor to provide whatever assistance and information the Authority may lawfully require to carry out its functions;

(r) To exercise any other powers that are reasonable and necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of the Authority under this Act and to comply with the requirements of applicable federal law or regulation;

(s) To exercise the rights, powers, and duties which have been vested in the Authority by the Illinois Uniform Conviction Information Act;

(t) (Blank);

(u) To exercise the rights, powers, and duties vested in the Authority by the Illinois Public Safety Agency Network Act;

(v) To provide technical assistance in the form of training to local governmental entities within Illinois requesting such assistance for the purposes of procuring grants for gang intervention and gang prevention programs or other criminal justice programs from the United States Department of Justice;

(w) To conduct strategic planning and provide technical assistance to implement comprehensive trauma recovery services for violent crime victims in underserved communities with high levels of violent crime, with the goal of providing a safe, community-based, culturally competent environment in which to access services necessary to facilitate recovery from the effects of chronic and repeat exposure to trauma. Services may include, but are not limited to, behavioral health treatment, financial recovery, family support and relocation assistance, and support in navigating the legal system; and

(x) To coordinate statewide violence prevention efforts and assist in the implementation of trauma recovery centers and analyze trauma recovery services. The Authority shall develop, publish, and facilitate the implementation of a 4-year statewide violence prevention plan, which shall incorporate public health, public safety, victim services, and trauma recovery centers and services.

(y) To exercise the rights, powers, and duties vested in the Authority by the Reimagine Public Safety Act.

The requirement for reporting to the General Assembly shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report as required by Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization Act, and filing such additional copies with the State Government Report Distribution Center for the General Assembly as is required under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of the State Library Act.

(Source: P.A. 99-938, eff. 1-1-18; 100-373, eff. 1-1-18; 100-575, eff. 1-8-18; 100-621, eff. 7-20-18; 100-1148, eff. 12-10-18.)

Section 10. The Reimagine Public Safety Act is amended by adding Sections 35-57.1, 35-57.2, 35-57.3, and 35-57.4 as follows:

(430 ILCS 69/35-57.1 new)

Sec. 35-57.1. Community Organization Capacity Building Program.

(a) As used in this Section:

"Capacity building" means efforts by either an organization itself or a supporting organization to increase the likelihood that a community-based organization can effectively receive public funding, manage public grants, and improve programs and service delivery with such funding.

"Community Violence Intervention Workforce Curriculum" means educating community violence intervention graduates as they transition into sustainable, promising careers. These curricula have both universal and adaptable aspects that any community impacted by violence can use. The areas integrated in the curriculum are employees' rights, entrepreneurship, social and emotional learning, behavioral development, skill development, and career readiness. Within employees' rights and entrepreneurship, graduates and alumni will understand their rights as employees and learn how to establish their own business in hopes of creating multiple streams of income. Social and emotional learning behavioral development is critical to establish emotional regulations and create the "growth mindset" needed to navigate the workplace environment while integrating their own lived experience. Skill development teaches graduates industry specific knowledge and skills needed within their chosen professions. Career readiness helps graduates manage day-to-day tasks and gain the financial literacy necessary to sustain annual salaries and best use wraparound services from Illinois Department of Human Services.

"Community Violence Intervention Workforce Development" means a program composed of 3 pillars: Community Violence Initiative Workforce Development Curriculum, Community Violence Initiative Workforce Readiness, and a Community Violence Initiative Workforce Pipeline.

"Community Violence Intervention Workforce Pipeline" means a workforce pipeline that focuses on 2 specific areas: job placement after completion of a Community Violence Intervention Workforce Development Program and job retention with key indicators showing progress with program evaluation in the first 12 months. Within job placement, 250 participants in the Community Violence Initiative Workforce Development Training Centers within Chicago with 70% placement rate of participants after completion of the program, and 40% retention rate of participants within the first 3 months of employment. This process will incorporate feedback from funding providers, employers, and Illinois General Assembly members. Job coaching and continued education for employers will be provided in collaboration with the Community Violence Initiative workforce development organizations.

"Community Violence Intervention Workforce Readiness" means addressing the professional hard and soft skills, competency-based training, and life coaching needed to be successful in onboarding and maintaining progressive employment throughout their careers. The following areas are integrated into any Community Violence Initiative Workforce Development Program: effective interpersonal communication, attendance and time management, and workplace professionalism. Within effective interpersonal communication, graduates and alumni exhibit skills such as self-advocacy and learning effective strategies to communicate with supervisors and coworkers at any organization. Attendance and time management are also important with teaching these skills, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, to help combat barriers that will prevent successful job retention. Lastly, workplace professionalism needs to be foundational when guiding graduates on how to present themselves in the mainstream workforce.

"Small emerging community-based organization" means a community-based organization with less than $1,500,000 in annual revenue that has received public grants for less than three years prior to applying for a capacity building grant.

(b) The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and the Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall allocate $10,000,000 for community organization capacity building as established in this Section.

(c) In consultation with the Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority shall issue grants to organizations in the Reimagine Public Safety Act communities and existing Reimagine Public Safety Act grantees that can provide technical assistance services to small, emerging organizations with strong credible messengers to build an infrastructure to support programmatic funding under the Act.

(d) Grants for small, emerging community-based organizations shall have the following provisions:

(1) Grant applications for small, emerging community-based organizations shall be for $150,000 to $500,000 and include the following reimbursable service categories:

(A) administrative and finance personnel to apply for and manage grants;

(B) program expenses related to violence prevention services;

(C) reserve funds to finance cashflow while waiting for public reimbursement; and

(D) consulting services that will increase the financial stability or programmatic integrity of the emerging organization.

(2) Each grant for a small emerging community-based organization shall request the small emerging community-based organization to use 50% or more of the grant for program-related services in violence prevention unless the grantee identifies other pressing needs.

(3) Provided they meet all grant requirements, small emerging community-based organizations shall receive up to 2 renewals for a total of 3 years of funding to build their organizational capacity under this grant program.

(e) Grants for existing Reimagine Public Safety Act grantees shall have the following provisions:

(1) Grant applications for existing Reimagine Public Safety Act grantees to build other smaller organizations' capacities shall be for $300,000 to $500,000 and include the following reimbursable service categories:

(A) training services for small emerging community-based organizational capacity building;

(B) program-related expenses for violence prevention services provided by the small, emerging community-based organizations;

(C) expenses related to financial management of small, emerging community-based organizations as a fiscal agent or sponsor;

(D) reserve funds to finance cashflow while waiting for public reimbursement; and

(E) consulting services that will increase the financial stability or programmatic integrity of small emerging community-based organizations.

(2) To receive a grant under the Community Organization Capacity Building Program as an existing Reimagine Public Safety Act grantee, applicants must be in good standing as a Reimagine Public Safety Act grantee and have at least 3 years of experience managing more than $1,000,000 in public grants annually. Applicants must also identify at least 2 organizations they will work with and receive supporting letters from those organizations to provide specific support services.

(f) In partnership with the Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority shall create other criteria to make awards under this Section consistent with the purposes of this Act.

(430 ILCS 69/35-57.2 new)

Sec. 35-57.2. Community Violence Intervention Workforce Development Training Centers Program.

(a) The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and the Illinois Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall allocate $5,000,000 for Community Violence Intervention training organizations.

(b) In consultation with the Illinois Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority shall issue grants to community violence intervention training organizations in the Reimagine Public Safety Act communities and existing Reimagine Public Safety Act grantees that can provide community violence intervention workforce development training. There shall be 2 grants of $2,500,000 each awarded, for a total of $5,000,000 in grants.

(c) Grant applications for community violence intervention workforce training organizations shall be for $2,500,000 each and include the following reimbursable service categories:

(1) paid stipends for trainees to subsidize their income while enhancing their skills;

(2) cognitive behavioral curriculum that aligns with social and emotional learning skills and life coaching;

(3) job coaching throughout the first year of employment from trusted, credible messengers;

(4) individualized competency-based educational experiences for community violence intervention graduates and alumni; and

(5) pre-identified job opportunities upon completion of the workforce development program.

(d) In partnership with the Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention, the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority shall create other criteria to make awards under this Section consistent with the purposes of this Act.

(430 ILCS 69/35-57.3 new)

Sec. 35-57.3. Prospective grant payments.

(a) Any community-based organization funded by Restore, Reinvest, and Renew programs at the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, by the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act programs at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or by the Reimagine Public Safety Act programs at the Department of Human Services shall qualify for 4 prospective 3-month payments if the community-based organization meets all of the following criteria:

(1) The community-based organization has less than $1,000,000 in annual revenue outside of the grant program funds they receive from Restore, Reinvest, and Renew grants, Climate and Equitable Jobs Act grants, or Reimagine Public Safety Act grants, or the community-based organization does not have access to free cashflow that can support 2 months of the program funds awarded under the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew program, the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act program, or the Reimagine Public Safety Act program;

(2) The community-based organization is willing and capable of filing quarterly reports that indicate how funds have been spent in accordance with their grant agreement.

(3) The community-based organization and its leadership have not been found to be in violation of a public or private grant agreement in the past.

(b) To receive additional quarterly prospective payments, the community agency must report its actual and projected spending for the last 3 months of the grant between 60 days and 75 days after the last prospective payment was made. The relevant State agency shall adjust the next prospective payment to reflect 3 months of additional funds needed based on actual spending that took place in the prior quarter.

(430 ILCS 69/35-57.4 new)

Sec. 35-57.4. Community Violence Initiative Program Peer Assessment and Evaluation.

(a) The Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall create a peer assessment process for all grantees under the Reimagine Public Safety Act program. The Office of Firearm Violence Prevention may contract with a qualified university partner or other research institution to design and implement the peer assessment process. The peer assessment process should be designed and implemented using the peer assessment program from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials as a model formative assessment tool, or the Office of Firearm Violence Prevention may select a peer assessment model that more closely aligns with community violence intervention program needs that have been endorsed by at least 10 of the Reimagine Public Safety Act grantees.

(b) The peer review process shall include review from 3 or more similar community violence intervention programs on the following programmatic and organizational elements:

(1) best evidence participant recruitment and retention;

(2) application of data to all elements of program design and implementation;

(3) staff training, support, and accountability;

(4) budget and financial integrity and controls;

(5) community engagement, communication, awareness, and accountability; and

(6) continual improvement process management.

(c) The Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention shall develop standards and processes for implementing the peer review process by no later than March 1, 2025, and shall complete the first peer reviews before July 1, 2025.