Cal. RTC § 36005 — California Code / Code rtc / Division 2 / Part 16 / Chapter 1 / Section 36005
Section 36005
Status: in_force

(a) There is hereby established in the State Treasury the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Fund to receive moneys pursuant to Section 36041.

(b) All moneys in the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Fund, including interest or dividends earned by the fund, shall be distributed annually in accordance with the allocation formula provided in subdivision (c), provided that the dollar amounts specified in that subdivision shall be annually adjusted to account for changes in the California Consumer Price Index.

(c) Moneys in the Gun Violence Prevention and School Safety Fund shall be annually allocated in the following order:

(1) The first seventy-five million dollars ($75,000,000) available in the fund, or as much of that amount as is available, shall be continuously appropriated annually to the Board of State and Community Corrections, or other successor agency designated by law as the administering agency for the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) Grant Program, to fund CalVIP Grants and administration and evaluations of CalVIP-supported programs, in accordance with Title 10.2 (commencing with Section 14130) of Part 4 of the Penal Code.

(2) The next fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) available in the fund, or as much of that amount as is available, if any, shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be annually allocated to the State Department of Education to enhance school safety by addressing risk factors for gun violence affecting pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, through the funding of related measures, including, without limitation, the measures described in subparagraphs (A) to (D), inclusive. The State Department of Education may use these funds to support both activities conducted directly by the State Department of Education and those conducted through contracts with, or grants to, other entities.

(A) Physical security improvements, including, but not limited to, the installation of interior locks for purposes of Section 17586 of the Education Code.

(B) Physical safety assessments.

(C) School-based or school-linked mental health and behavioral services, including training for teachers and employees.

(D) Before school and after school programs for at-risk pupils, including programs offered by entities eligible to receive funding under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections Grant Program.

(3) The next fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) available in the fund, or as much of that amount as is available, if any, shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be annually allocated to the Judicial Council to support a court-based firearm relinquishment grant program to be administered in coordination with the Department of Justice to ensure the prompt, consistent, and safe removal of firearms by the Department of Justice and local law enforcement agencies from individuals who become prohibited from owning or possessing firearms and ammunition pursuant to a criminal conviction or other criminal or civil court order, including, but not limited to, criminal protective orders, domestic violence restraining orders, gun violence restraining orders, civil harassment restraining orders, and workplace violence restraining orders. The grant program shall be designed to reduce the number of people who are entered into or remain in the Armed Prohibited Persons System, including by supporting partnerships with courts and local law enforcement agencies.

(4) The next fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) available in the fund, or as much of that amount as is available, if any, shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be annually allocated to the Department of Justice to fund a victims of gun violence grant program. The purpose of this program is to support evidence-based activities to equitably improve investigations and clearance rates in firearm homicide and firearm assault investigations in communities disproportionately impacted by firearm homicides and firearm assaults, and thereby help reduce gun violence in communities across California. Grants from this program shall be made on a competitive basis to state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies and prosecuting offices for activities that have the specific objective of increasing clearance rates for firearm homicides and nonfatal shootings, which may include, without limitation, hiring and training detectives dedicated to investigating these offenses, hiring and training personnel or other partners to coordinate with victims and witnesses or to collect, process, and test relevant evidence, improving data analysis, forensics, and technological capacities, and promoting recurring and trauma-informed engagement with victims, witnesses, and other impacted community members in a manner that builds trust, safety, and collaboration.

(5) The next two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) available in the fund per year, or as much of that amount as is available, if any, shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be annually allocated to the Department of Justice to support activities to inform firearm and ammunition purchasers and firearm owners about gun safety laws and responsibilities, such as safe firearm storage, and to promote implementation and coordination of gun violence prevention efforts through activities such as technical assistance, training, capacity building, and local gun violence data and problem analysis support for local governments, law enforcement agencies, community-based service providers, and other stakeholders. The Department of Justice may use these funds to support activities conducted directly by the Department of Justice or conducted through contracts with, or grants to, other entities.

(6) The next two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) available in the fund, or as much of that amount as is available, if any, shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be annually allocated to the Office of Emergency Services to provide counseling and trauma-informed support services to direct and secondary victims of mass shootings and other gun homicides and to individuals who have experienced chronic exposure to community gun violence. The office may use these funds to support activities directly conducted by the office, or conducted through contracts with, or grants to, other entities, and to help reduce gun violence in communities across California.

(7) The next one million dollars ($1,000,000) available in the fund, or as much of that amount as is available, if any, shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be allocated to the University of California, Davis, California Firearm Violence Research Center, if those funds are accepted by the Regents of the University of California, for a one-time grant for gun violence research and initiatives to educate health care providers and other stakeholders about clinical tools and other interventions for preventing firearm suicide and injury. This allocation may, if sufficient funds are not available, be made over the course of more than one budget year; however, the total amount allocated pursuant to this paragraph across all years shall not exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000).

(d) Any remaining moneys available in the fund each year after the allocations described in subdivision (c) shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be allocated to fund and support activities and programs focused on preventing gun violence, supporting victims of gun violence, and otherwise remediating the harmful effects of gun violence.

(e) Except as otherwise provided in this section or in any other law, a department or agency may reserve up to 5 percent of the funds appropriated to that department or agency under subdivision (c) for the costs of administering and promoting the effectiveness of programs supported by this act, including, without limitation, costs to employ personnel, develop and review grant solicitations, publicize grant opportunities, engage with and provide technical assistance to prospective grant applicants and grantees, and conduct or support data collection or research evaluations.