HR0836 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0836 LRB102 27254 ECR 38979 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Public Safety and Violence Prevention Task Force has met 11 times, beginning with its first meeting on October 25, 2021, and has heard from violence prevention grant recipients of the Department of Human Services and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority; and

WHEREAS, Between fiscal years 2018 and 2022, the Illinois General Assembly appropriated almost $450 million for violence prevention grants; and

WHEREAS, Violence prevention funding will be increasing again this year; and

WHEREAS, Significant amounts of money and resources have been invested into this problem, and while results have been seen, further improvements could be made to how funding is prioritized and distributed; and

WHEREAS, Through working together and opening channels of communication, it can be ensured that responsible and qualified parties with violence prevention experience who wish to participate in these programs will be given an opportunity to apply; and

WHEREAS, Many worthy opportunities are not being pursued due to lack of awareness; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we call for agencies to have broader disclosure of non-legislated programs on budget forms; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call for data collection and evidence-based practices for violence prevention grantees and for new programs to have a three-year spending plan attached; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call for the creation of a publicly accessible database for government programs, assistance, grantees, and funding that is searchable by the zip code of the area of service; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call for agencies to be more targeted with the purpose and location of Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs); and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call for the establishment of a task force or commission with experts from the fields of economics, public health, social work, law enforcement, grant distribution, and public policy as well as representatives from government agencies and community organizations to provide policy recommendations to the General Assembly; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we direct the Auditor General to perform a general performance audit of grant programs and recipients of violence prevention grants awarded by the Department of Human Services and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority; the performance audit shall be for Fiscal Years 2020, 2021, 2022, and continue into Fiscal Year 2023, and should examine:

(1) The purposes for which State monies were provided to grant recipients for the violence prevention grants;

(2) The nature and extent of monitoring by DHS and ICJIA of how the grant programs used the State provided money and whether certain residential communities of similar crime rates were excluded;

(3) The actual use of the State monies by grantees, including the identity of any subrecipients and the amounts and purposes for employment;

(4) The number of positions paid through the programs by organizational unit, job title, function, and salary and whether employees completed and filled out appropriate time sheets;

(5) The number of positions supervised or managed by each management position and whether any of those employees were supervised or managed by more than one management position;

(6) Whether, through a review of available documentation, the programs met or were meeting the purposes for which the State monies were provided, with specific information concerning any measurable impact on reducing crime rates;

(7) Whether the programs were in compliance with the applicable laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements pertaining to the programs' receipt of State monies; and

(8) A determination if the Notice of Funding Opportunities drive at solutions for violence prevention; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor, all Illinois constitutional officers, and the directors of all grant-making state agencies.