HB0260

Establishes a criminal accountability grant program administered by the attorney general to provide grants to cities and towns to offset costs associated with criminal activity.

• Creates the criminal accountability grant program to be administered by the attorney general, who establishes the application process and other program requirements. (W.S. 9-1-641(a), Sec. 1)
• Establishes four factors for awarding grants: increase in actual costs from higher jail populations compared to fiscal year 2022; number of violent crimes reported using national incident-based reporting systems; number of fentanyl cases filed for prosecution and fentanyl seizures; and number of crimes filed against nonresidents. (W.S. 9-1-641(a)(i)-(iv))
• Limits grant awards to cities and towns using a national incident-based reporting system for violent crime reporting; cities or towns not using this system are ineligible. (W.S. 9-1-641(a)(ii))
• Restricts the grant program to award no more than ten cities or towns per fiscal year, with each city or town receiving a maximum of one grant per fiscal year. (W.S. 9-1-641(c))
• Requires grants to be expended only to offset actual costs of criminal activity associated with the specified factors. (W.S. 9-1-641(c))
• Requires the attorney general to submit annual reports to the joint judiciary interim committee and governor detailing the number of applications received, grants awarded, and how grant funds were used. (W.S. 9-1-641(d))
• Requires participating cities and towns to cooperate with the attorney general by providing requested information within 30 days to support report preparation. (W.S. 9-1-641(e))
• Appropriates five million dollars from the general fund to the attorney general for fiscal year 2025-2026 to award grants, with unexpended funds reverting to the state. (Sec. 2(a))
• Expresses legislative intent that funding for the criminal accountability grant program be doubled in subsequent budget requests. (Sec. 2(b))