2023 Utah Code › Title 53 - Public Safety Code › Chapter 21 - Mental Health Resources for First Responders › Section 103 - Grants to first responder agencies -- Rulemaking.

Effective 3/1/2023
53-21-103.
Grants to first responder agencies -- Rulemaking.
(1) The department may award grants to first responder agencies to provide mental health resources in response to a:
(a) request for proposal;
(b) request for qualifications; or
(c) program description that meets the criteria in Subsection (2).
(2) The request for proposal, request for qualifications, or program description received by the department shall require mental health providers contracted or employed by the first responder agency to have training and experience in working with first responders and provide, at a minimum, the following services:
(a) regular periodic screenings for all employees within the first responder agency;
(b) assessments and availability to mental health services for personnel directly involved in a critical incident within 12 hours of the incident; and
(c) regular and continuing access to the mental health program for:
(i) spouses and children of first responders;
(ii) first responders who have retired or separated from the agency; and
(iii) spouses of first responders who have retired or separated from the agency.
(3) An application from a first responder agency for a grant under this chapter shall provide the following details:
(a) a proposed plan to provide mental health resources to first responders in the first responder agency;
(b) the number of first responders to be served by the proposed plan;
(c) how the proposed plan will ensure timely and effective provision of mental health resources to first responders in the first responder agency;
(d) the cost of the proposed plan; and
(e) the sustainability of the proposed plan.
(4) In evaluating a project proposal for a grant under this section, the department shall consider:
(a) the extent to which the first responders that will be served by the proposed plan are likely to benefit from the proposed plan;
(b) the cost of the proposed plan; and
(c) the viability of the proposed plan.
(5) A first responder agency may not apply for a grant to fund a program already in place. However, a request for proposal to fund an expansion of an already existing program shall, in addition to the requirements of Subsection (4), provide:
(a) the scope and cost of the agency's current program;
(b) the number of additional first responders the expansion will serve; and
(c) whether the expansion will provide services under Subsection (2) that the current program does not provide.
(6) The department shall prioritize grant funding for:
(a) counties of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th class;
(b) cities of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th class; and
(c) towns.
(7) The department may adopt rules in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, to administer this chapter.
(8) The department shall:
(a) notify entities that may be eligible for a grant under this section about the grant program; and
(b) on or before October 1, 2023, provide a report to the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee that describes:
(i) the number of entities that have been notified by the department about the grant program under this section; and
(ii) the number of grant applications that the department has received.
Amended by Chapter 19, 2023 General Session