HB 323: "An Act creating the Alaska marijuana education, prevention, and cessation grant program and the Alaska marijuana prevention youth services fund; and relating to the duties of the Alaska Children's Trust Board."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 323 01 "An Act creating the Alaska marijuana education, prevention, and cessation grant 02 program and the Alaska marijuana prevention youth services fund; and relating to the 03 duties of the Alaska Children's Trust Board." 04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 * Section 1. AS 17.38 is amended by adding new sections to read: 06 Sec. 17.38.300. Alaska marijuana education, prevention, and cessation 07 grant program. (a) The Alaska marijuana education, prevention, and cessation grant 08 program is created to provide funding, training, and technical assistance for 09 community-based and statewide education projects designed to reduce initiation of 10 marijuana use by minors, promote cessation of marijuana use among minors, and 11 reduce exposure of minors to secondhand smoke and impaired driving dangers from 12 marijuana use. 13 (b) The Alaska Children's Trust Board shall 14 (1) administer the Alaska marijuana education, prevention, and
01 cessation grant program; 02 (2) make grant awards from the fund established under AS 17.38.305; 03 and 04 (3) survey the need for trained teachers, health professionals, and 05 others involved in providing marijuana education, prevention, and cessation programs. 06 (c) The board shall award grants to selected entities, specifying the amount 07 and duration of each grant. The board may only award grants that have a duration of 08 three years or less. At least 65 percent of the grants awarded each year shall be 09 awarded to one or more neighborhood youth development entities that provide out-of- 10 school programs to children who are six to 18 years of age in at least 12 separate 11 communities. To be eligible for a grant, a neighborhood youth development entity 12 must 13 (1) be exempt from federal taxation under 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) 14 (Internal Revenue Code) and in good standing with a national congressionally 15 chartered organization's standards under 36 U.S.C. 20101 - 240112; 16 (2) be facility-based and provide proven and tested recreational, 17 educational, and character-building programs for children who are six to 18 years of 18 age; and 19 (3) address the following three development areas: 20 (A) marijuana use prevention through peer-led outcome-based 21 curricula; 22 (B) adult and peer mentoring; and 23 (C) opportunities for positive, pro-social leisure and 24 recreational activities. 25 (d) The commissioner of commerce, community, and economic development 26 shall review all grant applications and make recommendations to the board regarding 27 eligible grantees and the amount of each grant award. 28 (e) The board shall adopt regulations necessary to carry out the program. At a 29 minimum, the regulations must include 30 (1) the procedures and timeline to apply for a grant; 31 (2) the application contents;
01 (3) the criteria for selecting grant recipients and the amount recipients 02 will receive; and 03 (4) reporting requirements for entities that receive grants. 04 (f) To the extent the board determines there is a need, the department may 05 provide training and technical assistance to entities that receive grants under this 06 section. 07 (g) Notwithstanding the definition of "board" in AS 17.38.900, in this section, 08 "board" means the Alaska Children's Trust Board established in AS 37.14.225. 09 Sec. 17.38.305. Alaska marijuana prevention youth services fund. (a) The 10 Alaska marijuana prevention youth services fund is created as an account in the 11 general fund. The fund consists of appropriations and donations to the fund. The 12 legislature may appropriate 20 percent of the total tax revenue received under 13 AS 43.61.010, or any other revenue, to the fund. 14 (b) Money from the fund may be appropriated 15 (1) for the grant program established in AS 17.38.300; and 16 (2) to pay the cost of administration of the grant program established in 17 AS 17.38.300, provided the administrative costs do not exceed three percent of the 18 total value of the fund. 19 * Sec. 2. AS 37.14.230(a) is amended to read: 20 (a) The board shall 21 (1) hold regular and special meetings it considers necessary; the board 22 may hold meetings by teleconference; 23 (2) award grants from the grant account to community-based programs 24 that the board finds will aid in the prevention of child abuse and neglect; 25 (3) monitor approved programs for compliance with AS 37.14.200 - 26 37.14.270 and specified grant conditions; 27 (4) maintain records for all donations to the trust and the grant account; 28 the records must reflect the amount of the donation, the date of the donation, the 29 donor's intent, if any, with respect to how the donation is to be used, the account into 30 which the donation was deposited, and the manner in which the donation was 31 expended;
01 (5) apply for and use funds from the grant account to obtain private 02 and federal grants for the prevention of child abuse and neglect; 03 (6) solicit contributions, gifts, and bequests to the trust and the grant 04 account; 05 (7) keep electronic recordings of each meeting of the board to be made 06 available on request; 07 (8) submit to the governor and make available to the legislature by 08 February 1 each year a report describing 09 (A) the child abuse and neglect prevention services that were 10 provided by the programs to which the board awarded grants; [AND] 11 (B) the annual level of contributions, income, and expenses of 12 the trust and the grant account; 13 (9) make arrangements with the commissioner or a financial 14 depository to manage private restricted-use donations that are not fully expended and 15 account for any interest earned on the donations; and 16 (10) administer the Alaska marijuana education, prevention, and 17 cessation grant program established in AS 17.38.300 and make grants from the 18 Alaska marijuana prevention youth services fund established in AS 17.38.305.