Bill Text: TX HB18 | 2023 | 88th Legislature 4th Special Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of a grant program to provide financial assistance to qualified sheriff's departments in certain rural counties; making an appropriation.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-11-07 - Filed [HB18 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB18-Introduced.html
| By: Guillen | H.B. No. 18 | |
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| relating to the establishment of a grant program to provide | ||
| financial assistance to qualified sheriff's departments in certain | ||
| rural counties; making an appropriation. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| ARTICLE 1. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS | ||
| SECTION 1.01. The legislature finds that: | ||
| (1) the legislature acting with the governor has the | ||
| solemn duty to protect the citizens of this state; | ||
| (2) many rural counties of this state are experiencing | ||
| rapid population growth due to the influx of individuals from | ||
| metropolitan areas and from outside the state; | ||
| (3) many of these individuals settle in developments | ||
| like Colony Ridge in Liberty County, leading to population growth | ||
| and population density previously unseen in these rural counties; | ||
| and | ||
| (4) the increases in population and density strain the | ||
| resources of these rural counties to provide adequate public | ||
| services to their citizens, particularly when it comes to providing | ||
| law enforcement in unincorporated areas of the county. | ||
| ARTICLE 2. RURAL SHERIFF'S DEPUTY SHORTAGE RELIEF | ||
| SECTION 2.01. Subchapter Z, Chapter 130, Local Government | ||
| Code, is amended by adding Section 130.914 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 130.914. RURAL SHERIFF'S DEPUTY SHORTAGE RELIEF GRANT | ||
| PROGRAM. (a) In this section: | ||
| (1) "Deputy-to-resident ratio" means the ratio of the | ||
| number of deputy sheriffs to the number of residents of the | ||
| unincorporated areas of the county, as determined by the population | ||
| estimates provided by the state demographer under Section 468.004, | ||
| Government Code. | ||
| (2) "Grant" means a grant authorized to be awarded by | ||
| the comptroller under the rural sheriff's deputy shortage relief | ||
| grant program established by this section. | ||
| (3) "Qualified county" means a county: | ||
| (A) with a population of 300,000 or less; and | ||
| (B) for which on January 1, 2024, the | ||
| deputy-to-resident ratio is less than 15 to 10,000. | ||
| (4) "Qualified deputy position" means a deputy sheriff | ||
| position in a qualified county that: | ||
| (A) is held or will be held by a deputy sheriff | ||
| who makes motor vehicle stops in the routine performance of the | ||
| deputy's duties; | ||
| (B) is in addition to a deputy sheriff position | ||
| held in the county on January 1, 2024; and | ||
| (C) when aggregated with each other qualified | ||
| deputy position would result in a deputy-to-resident ratio of 15 to | ||
| 10,000, determined as of January 1, 2024. | ||
| (b) The comptroller shall establish and administer the | ||
| rural sheriff's deputy shortage relief grant program to support the | ||
| state purpose of ensuring professional law enforcement throughout | ||
| the state by providing financial assistance to sheriff's | ||
| departments in qualified counties. | ||
| (c) Not later than the 30th day after the first day of a | ||
| qualified county's fiscal year, the county may submit an | ||
| application for a grant to the comptroller. The county must | ||
| indicate in the application the number of qualified deputy | ||
| positions the county is requesting for inclusion in the | ||
| determination of the amount of the grant for that fiscal year and | ||
| the number for which the county is requesting additional funds | ||
| described by Subsection (d)(2). A county may submit only one | ||
| application each fiscal year. | ||
| (d) Subject to Subsections (e), (f), and (j), the | ||
| comptroller shall award a grant to a qualified county that applies | ||
| for the grant using money appropriated to the comptroller for that | ||
| purpose. The grant must be in the following amount: | ||
| (1) $50,000 for each qualified deputy position | ||
| indicated by the county in the application for that fiscal year; and | ||
| (2) an additional $50,000 for each qualified deputy | ||
| position indicated in the application for that fiscal year, unless | ||
| the county has received a grant under this subdivision for that | ||
| position in a preceding fiscal year. | ||
| (e) This subsection applies only to a fiscal year of a | ||
| qualified county that meets the deputy-to-resident ratio described | ||
| by Subsection (a)(4)(C) during a calendar year that begins on or | ||
| after January 1, 2024, but before the calendar year in which the | ||
| fiscal year begins. A qualified county is not eligible to receive a | ||
| grant under this section for a fiscal year unless the county adopts | ||
| a budget for the fiscal year that provides for the employment of a | ||
| number of deputy sheriffs necessary to meet the deputy-to-resident | ||
| ratio of at least 15 to 10,000, determined as of January 1 of the | ||
| calendar year in which the fiscal year begins. | ||
| (f) This subsection applies only to a fiscal year of a | ||
| qualified county for which the number of qualified deputy positions | ||
| the county is otherwise entitled to receive a grant for under this | ||
| section is greater than the number of qualified deputy positions | ||
| the county would be entitled to receive a grant for under this | ||
| section if the deputy-to-resident ratio described by Subsection | ||
| (a)(4)(C) is determined as of January 1 of the calendar year in | ||
| which the fiscal year begins instead of January 1, 2024. A qualified | ||
| county is entitled to receive a grant under this section only for | ||
| the number of qualified deputy positions the county would be | ||
| entitled to receive a grant for if the deputy-to-resident ratio | ||
| described by Subsection (a)(4)(C) is determined as of January 1 of | ||
| the calendar year in which the fiscal year begins instead of January | ||
| 1, 2024. | ||
| (g) A county that is awarded a grant shall use or authorize | ||
| the use of the grant money only: | ||
| (1) to provide to each deputy sheriff who fills a | ||
| qualified deputy position a minimum annual salary of at least | ||
| $45,000; and | ||
| (2) subject to Subsection (h), to purchase vehicles, | ||
| firearms, and safety equipment for the use of a deputy sheriff who | ||
| fills a qualified deputy position. | ||
| (h) A county that is awarded a grant may not use or authorize | ||
| the use of the grant money for a purpose other than prescribed by | ||
| Subsection (g)(1) until that requirement is satisfied. | ||
| (i) A county that is awarded a grant may not reduce the | ||
| sheriff's department budget for the county's fiscal year following | ||
| the fiscal year in which the comptroller awards the grant. | ||
| (k) The total amount that may be used to provide grants | ||
| under Subsection (d) may not exceed $50 million per fiscal year. If | ||
| the total amount of grants to which the qualified counties are | ||
| entitled under Subsection (d) for a fiscal year exceeds the amount | ||
| permitted under this subsection, the comptroller shall | ||
| proportionately reduce each qualified county’s grant award under | ||
| this section by reducing the number of awards under Subsection | ||
| (d)(1) and (d)(2). | ||
| (k) The comptroller shall adopt rules necessary to | ||
| implement this section, including rules that establish: | ||
| (1) a standardized application process, including the | ||
| form to be used to apply for a grant and the manner of submitting the | ||
| form; | ||
| (2) deadlines for: | ||
| (A) applying for the grant; | ||
| (B) disbursement of grant money; and | ||
| (C) spending grant money; and | ||
| (3) procedures for: | ||
| (A) monitoring the disbursement of grant money to | ||
| ensure compliance with this section; and | ||
| (B) the return of grant money that was not used by | ||
| a county for a purpose authorized by this section. | ||
| ARTICLE 3. APPROPRIATION | ||
| SECTION 3.01. On the effective date of this Act, the amount | ||
| of $100,000,000 is appropriated from the general revenue fund to | ||
| the Fiscal Programs-Comptroller of Public Accounts for use during | ||
| the two-year period beginning on the effective date of this Act for | ||
| a use or purpose described by Section 130.914, Local Government | ||
| Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| ARTICLE 4. TRANSITIONS AND EFFECTIVE DATE | ||
| SECTION 4.01. A qualified county, as defined by Section | ||
| 130.914, Local Government Code, as added by this Act, may not apply | ||
| for a grant under that section before April 1, 2024. | ||
| SECTION 4.02. Not later than April 1, 2024, the comptroller | ||
| of public accounts shall comply with the requirements of Section | ||
| 130.914, Local Government Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 4.03. This Act takes effect immediately if it | ||
| receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each | ||
| house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. | ||
| If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate | ||
| effect, this Act takes effect on the 91st day after the last day of | ||
| the legislative session. | ||
