1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to public safety; appropriating money for 
  1.3             neighborhood-based crime victim and witness services. 
  1.4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.5      Section 1.  [PILOT PROJECT GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE 
  1.6   SERVICES TO CRIME VICTIMS AND WITNESSES.] 
  1.7      Subdivision 1.  [PROGRAM DESCRIBED.] The commissioner of 
  1.8   public safety, in consultation with the executive director of 
  1.9   the center for crime victim services, shall administer a pilot 
  1.10  project grant program and make grants to nonprofit organizations 
  1.11  to provide neighborhood-based services to victims and witnesses 
  1.12  of crime during the period between the occurrence of the crime 
  1.13  and the filing of charges against the alleged perpetrator.  
  1.14  Grant recipients must target victims and witnesses of crime from 
  1.15  groups that currently underreport crime, including recent 
  1.16  immigrants or refugees, communities of color, and victims of 
  1.17  bias-motivated crime.  Services must be provided in locations 
  1.18  and at times typically convenient to prospective clients.  The 
  1.19  types of services that may be offered by grant recipients are 
  1.20  those that attempt to address the lack of trust and 
  1.21  understanding that prospective clients have of the criminal 
  1.22  justice system and include legal advice and advocacy services.  
  1.23  The executive director shall ensure that grants under this 
  1.24  section fund pilot projects offering the described services in 
  2.1   at least five locations, at least three of which must be ones 
  2.2   where these types of services are not currently offered.  
  2.3      Subd. 2.  [REQUIRED REPORT.] By January 15, 2004, the 
  2.4   executive director shall report to the chairs and ranking 
  2.5   minority members of the senate and house committees and 
  2.6   divisions having jurisdiction over criminal justice funding on 
  2.7   the grants made and pilot projects funded under this section. 
  2.8      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.9      $....... is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 
  2.10  30, 2002, and $....... is appropriated for the fiscal year 
  2.11  ending June 30, 2003, from the general fund to the commissioner 
  2.12  of public safety to be used by the executive director of the 
  2.13  center for crime victim services for the pilot project grant 
  2.14  program to provide neighborhood-based services to crime victims 
  2.15  and witnesses as described in section 1.  The grant recipient or 
  2.16  recipients shall use the money received under this section to 
  2.17  offer services in five locations, at least three of which must 
  2.18  be ones where these types of services are not currently offered.