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PRINTER'S NO. 1177
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
175
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY KLUNK, GROVE, PICKETT, SCHLOSSBERG, McCLINTON,
CORBIN, MURT, D. COSTA, WARD, MILNE, PHILLIPS-HILL, GILLEN
AND D. MILLER, MARCH 30, 2017
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MARCH 30, 2017
AN ACT
Amending Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in municipal police education and
training, further providing for powers and duties of
commission and establishing the Police Department Grant
Program; and making a related repeal.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 2164 of Title 53 of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a paragraph to read:
§ 2164. Powers and duties of commission.
The powers and duties of the commission shall be as follows:
* * *
(17) To require minimum standards for training police
officers on domestic violence. The training shall include
standards for assessing the lethality risk of domestic
violence incidents. As used in this paragraph, the term
"police officer" also includes a member of the Pennsylvania
State Police or a county sheriff's office.
Section 2. Title 53 is amended by adding a section to read:
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§ 2172. Police Department Grant Program.
(a) Establishment.--T he Police Department Grant Program is
established and shall be administered by the center.
(b) Purpose of grants.--The center shall award grants to
eligible police departments. Grant funds may be used for the
following:
(1) Vehicle acquisition.
(2) Cameras, including cameras to be placed in vehicles.
(3) Speed timing devices.
(4) Uniforms.
(5) Police and emergency equipment.
(6) Training, including domestic violence training.
(7) Personnel costs.
(8) Community law enforcement efforts.
(c) Pennsylvania State Police and county sheriff's
offices.--The Pennsylvania State Police and county sheriff's
offices shall be eligible for a grant under this section for
domestic violence training in order to fund the training
required under section 2164(17) (relating to powers and duties
of commission).
(d) Application and review.--
(1) The center shall notify police departments of the
availability of the program by July 1 for fiscal years
beginning after June 30, 2016.
(2) The center shall develop and distribute a uniform
application for police departments to submit for grants under
the program. The center shall provide the application form
and accompanying instructions to police departments annually
by September 1.
(3) To be considered, an application must be submitted
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to the center no later than November 30 of each fiscal year.
The center shall approve or disapprove an application within
60 days of the application being filed.
(4) The center shall review applications submitted for
grants under the program and shall approve them if they meet
the requirements of paragraph (5) and the police department
agrees to the terms and conditions for the grant as
determined by the center. A police department must submit a
signed agreement to the center prior to the release of grant
funds to the police department.
(5) Grants shall be awarded based upon the demonstrated
need of the police department requesting the grant.
(e) Conditions.--
(1) A police department that fails to return a signed
agreement for the preceding fiscal year is ineligible for
grant funding in the current fiscal year unless the police
department provides to the center a reasonable written
explanation as to why the police department failed to claim
its grant.
(2) A police department that fails to demonstrate that
it complied with all the terms of its agreement for the
preceding fiscal year is ineligible for grant funding in the
current fiscal year.
(f) Funding.--
(1) Annually, the sum of $2,000,000 shall be transferred
from the State Gaming Fund to the department for the purpose
of issuing grants.
(2) No money from the transfer under paragraph (1) may
be used for expenses or costs incurred by the department for
the administration of the program.
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(g) Report.--Within six months of receiving a grant, a
police department shall submit a report to the center. The
report shall document the use of the grant funds by the police
department.
(h) Guidelines.--The department shall adopt guidelines
necessary to implement and administer the provisions of this
section.
(i) Applicability.--This section shall apply to fiscal years
beginning on or after July 1, 2016.
(j) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Center." The Center for Local Government Services within
the Department of Community and Economic Development of the
Commonwealth.
"Department." The Department of Community and Economic
Development of the Commonwealth.
"Grant." A grant awarded to a police department in
accordance with this section.
"Program." The Police Department Grant Program established
under this section.
Section 3. Repeals are as follows:
(1) The General Assembly declares that the repeal under
paragraph (2) is necessary to effectuate the addition of 53
Pa.C.S. § 2172.
(2) The provisions of 4 Pa.C.S. § 1408(c) are repealed.
Section 4. This act shall take effect as follows:
(1) The following shall take effect immediately:
(i) This section.
(ii) The addition of 53 Pa.C.S. § 2172.
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(2) The remainder of this act shall take effect in 60
days.
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