Section 117-C - Gun Violence Investigation and Prosecution Grant Program.(a) Establishment.--The commission shall establish the Gun Violence Investigation and Prosecution Grant Program.(b) Administration.--The program shall make grants to county district attorneys' offices and local law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute the following: (1) A violation of 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 61 (relating to firearms and other dangerous articles).(2) A crime of violence as defined in 42 Pa.C.S. § 9714(g) (relating to sentences for second and subsequent offenses) where a firearm or a replica of a firearm, as defined in 42 Pa.C.S. § 9712(e) (relating to sentences for offenses committed with firearms), is used in the commission of the crime.(c) Applications.--The commission shall prescribe the form and manner in which an application may be submitted to receive a grant award under the program. The commission shall accept applications on an annual basis.(d)Use of grant funds.--From money appropriated for COVID Relief - ARPA - Gun Violence Investigation and Prosecution, grant funds may be used for any of the following purposes: (1) To improve and enhance coordination of Federal, State and local law enforcement investigations and prosecutions of violations of 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 61 and crimes of violence involving firearms.(2) To support personnel costs, including salaries and overtime, relating to investigations and prosecutions of violations of 18 Pa.C.S. Ch. 61 and crimes of violence involving firearms, with priority given to applications focusing on straw purchasers and firearms trafficking.(3) To purchase technology systems, including related hardware and software, to improve investigations and prosecutions or increase clearance rates, including the purchase of gunshot detection technology and other technologies that support firearm violence reduction initiatives.(4) Initiatives that support the tracing of firearms used to commit crimes or delinquent acts and the identification of illegal firearms traffickers.(5) Any other efforts that aid in the investigation, arrest and prosecution of a crime involving firearms.(e) Limitations.--The limitations under section 116-C(f) for the law enforcement grant program shall apply to a grant awarded under this section.(f) Priority in awards.--In awarding grants under this program, the commission shall prioritize applications for areas of this Commonwealth experiencing high rates of gun violence. The commission shall reserve no less than 10% of available grant funds for county district attorneys' offices and law enforcement agencies serving rural communities.(g) Information collection.--To assist the commission in determining the effectiveness of grant outcomes under the program, the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts shall provide the commission with real-time data information on all individuals charged with firearm offenses and their disposition outcomes. The commission shall use the data received under this subsection to provide a real-time analysis on grant recipient outcomes on the commission's publicly accessible Internet website.(h)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: "Law enforcement agency." Shall have the same meaning as provided under section 116-C(j).
"Program." The Gun Violence Investigation and Prosecution Grant Program established under subsection (a).
Added by P.L. TBD 2022 No. 54, § 3, eff. 7/11/2022.