HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2656        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2136

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

José F. Tosado

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to create a Gateway Cities public safety pilot program.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2656        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2136

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3485 OF 2015-2016.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

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An Act to create a Gateway Cities public safety pilot program.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. (a) The executive office of public safety and security, in consultation with the executive office of housing and economic development, shall establish and administer a pilot program, to be known as the Gateway Municipality Public Safety Program through which the executive office of public safety and security shall award grants to gateway municipalities to address public safety concerns in order to spur economic development.

(b) All such grants made pursuant to this act shall be paid from funds in the Gateway Municipality Public Safety Fund. The specific percentage or amount that a gateway municipality is eligible for, if approved, shall be determined in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the executive office of public safety and security, in consultation with the executive office of housing and economic development.

(c) Between January 1 and May 1 of each year of the pilot program, a municipality may apply to the executive office of public safety and security for a grant to be used to address public safety problems that make economic development in that municipality, or in a specific area of that municipality, difficult.  All applications shall comply with regulations promulgated by the executive office of public safety and security, in consultation with the executive office of housing and economic development. All applications shall be accompanied by required documentation in the form prescribed by the regulations, including copies of plans to address public safety problems and spur economic development. The plans required pursuant to this subsection shall demonstrate the ability and willingness of the police department of the gateway municipality to work with municipality officials, including any executive department charged with economic development or municipal planning and any private developers.

(d) The executive office of public safety and security, in consultation with the executive office of housing and economic development, shall establish criteria for selection of grant applicants under the pilot program. The criteria shall include: (1) the severity of the public safety and economic development problems identified in the application; (2) the viability of the municipality’s plan to address such problems using funding from the pilot program; and (3) whether the municipality has demonstrated the ability and commitment to meet the goals established under the pilot program.

(e) The executive office of public safety and security, in consultation with the executive office of housing and economic development, shall establish goals and criteria used to measure the progress of any municipality that receives grant money pursuant to this act. Before May 1 of each year of the pilot program, each municipality that receives a grant pursuant to this act shall file a report with the executive office of public safety and security assessing the progress the municipality has made to address its public safety concerns and meet its specific goals. To the extent possible, each municipality shall provide specific examples of progress and evidence to the office.

(f) Before July 1 of each year of the pilot program, the executive office of public safety and security shall file a report with the clerks of the house of representatives and senate assessing the efficacy and measuring the progress of the pilot program. To the extent possible, the office shall opine as to whether each municipality receiving a grant pursuant to this act met its goals established pursuant to subsection (e) and made progress to address its overall public safety concerns. 

(g) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a Gateway Municipality Public Safety Fund which shall be administered by the executive office of public safety and security. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the following monies shall be credited to the fund: (i) $3,000,000; (ii) any further appropriations, grants, gifts or other monies authorized by the general court or other parties and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; and (iii) any income derived from the investment of amounts credited to the fund. All amounts credited to the fund shall be used without further appropriation for the purpose of administering the Gateway Municipality Public Safety Program. No expenditure from the fund shall cause the fund to be in deficiency at the close of a fiscal year. Monies deposited in the fund that are unexpended at the end of the fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in the subsequent year. The fund shall be exempt from the indirect and fringe benefits that would otherwise be assessed pursuant to this chapter 29 of the General Laws.

SECTION 2. Section 1 is hereby repealed.

SECTION 3. Section 2 shall take effect on January 1, 2024.