Bill
HF 4975
The bill extends and expands funding for a broad set of public safety, victim services, housing, and restorative programs in Minnesota, with targeted grants and new offices to impr
Title: Time to use certain grant funds extended
Author: Feist
Committee: Public Safety Finance and Policy
Session: 2025-2026
Purpose
- Extend and modify the timeframes and funding authorizations for a broad set of public safety and victim services grant programs administered by the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and related offices.
- Reallocate, extend, or create onetime and ongoing appropriations to support domestic and sexual violence housing, victim services, restorative practices, youth services, policing, and research initiatives, among others.
Key Provisions and Changes
- Office of Justice Programs: Adjusted base and appropriations drawn from General and State Government Special Revenue funds, with various targeted programs outlined below.
- Domestic and Sexual Violence Housing
- Establish a Domestic Violence Housing First grant program and a Minnesota Domestic and Sexual Violence Transitional Housing program to aid survivors with housing and mobile advocacy resources; base appropriation $1,000,000 in FY2026.
- Federal Victims of Crime Funding Gap
- One-time appropriation of $11,000,000 annually to fund services for crime victims (domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, etc.).
- Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls
- Ongoing establishment and maintenance funding: $1,248,000 per year.
- Increased Staffing at OJP
- Additional funding over two years ($667,000 in year 1; $1,334,000 in year 2) to bolster grant monitoring/compliance, training, technical assistance, community outreach, the Minnesota Statistical Analysis Center, and staffing for crime victim reimbursement and the Crime Victim Justice Unit.
- Office of Restorative Practices
- $500,000 per year to establish/maintain the Office of Restorative Practices.
- Crossover and Dual-Status Youth Model Grants
- $1,000,000 per year (one-time appropriation; available until Dec 31, 2026) to support local governments in implementing crossover youth and dual-status youth services aligned with the RFK National Resource Center model.
- Restorative Practices Initiatives Grants
- $4,000,000 per year (available through June 30, 2026); baseline $2,500,000 beginning in FY2026.
- Ramsey County Programs
- Ramsey County Youth Treatment Homes Acquisition and Betterment: $5,000,000 (FY2026) to create up to seven intensive, trauma-informed, culturally specific treatment homes for court-ordered youth; available through June 30, 2027.
- Ramsey County Violence Prevention: $5,000,000 (FY2026) for grants to build community-based support and prevention activities, including family services during post-delinquency reintegration; available through June 30, 2027.
- Office for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives
- $274,000 per year for enhanced staff/operating costs, advisory boards, and related activities.
- Youth Intervention Programs
- $3,525,000 in FY2026 and $3,526,000 in FY2027 for programs under Minn. Stat. § 299A.73; reflects a small year-to-year adjustment.
- Community Crime Intervention and Prevention Grants
- One-time appropriation of $750,000 per year.
- Resources for Victims of Crime
- Onetime $1,000,000 per year for general victim grants beyond DV/sexual assault/child abuse services.
- Prosecutor Training
- $100,000 per year to the Minnesota County Attorneys Association for prosecutor and law enforcement training, including trial school and train-the-trainer. Training must include instruction on racial disparities, collateral consequences, and trauma-informed responses. Requires reporting to legislative committees; initial report due by Feb 15, 2025.
- Minnesota Heals
- Onetime $500,000 for the Minnesota Heals grant program.
- Sexual Assault Exam Costs
- $3,967,000 in FY2026 and $3,767,000 in FY2027 to reimburse qualified health care providers for exam costs, plus administration costs; base amounts noted for comparison.
- First Responder Mental Health Curriculum
- $75,000 per year to develop a 24-week certificate curriculum for therapists to work with first responders; online option permitted; promote a directory of counselors; collaboration with Department of Public Safety; onetime appropriation.
- Pathways to Policing
- $400,000 per year for reimbursement grants to law enforcement agencies operating pathway-to-policing programs; grants may cover up to 50% of participant costs; onetime appropriation.
- Direct Assistance to Crime Victim Survivors
- $5,000,000 per year for direct services and advocacy; prioritizes underserved communities, culturally specific programs, and organizations led by people of color.
- Racially Diverse Youth Grants
- $250,000 per year (regional split: $125k Rochester, $125k St. Cloud) to support a pilot program connected to shelter services, including mobile case management, family reunification, and post-shelter support; one-time.
- Violence Prevention Project Research Center
- $500,000 per year for research focused on reducing violence, with emphasis on firearm-related deaths/injuries; annual reporting requirements begin Jan 15, 2025 and ongoing.
- Illicit Drug Use Study
- $118,000 per year to contract Rise Research LLC for a study on illicit drug use and policy recommendations; onetime; initial/final reporting schedule specified.
- Legal Representation for Children
- $150,000 per year to an organization providing legal representation for children in need of protection/services and out-of-home placement; requires matching funds from nonstate sources; onetime.
- Pretrial Release Study and Report
- $250,000 per year to study pretrial release practices; onetime.
- Intensive Comprehensive Peace Officer Education
- $5,000,000 in the first year to implement the comprehensive peace officer education program; available through June 30, 2027.
- Youth Services Office
- $250,000 per year to operate the Youth Services Office.
Procedural/Timeline Notes
- Effective status: Bill introduces amendments to Laws 2023 and subsequent acts; multiple onetime and ongoing appropriations with specific availability windows (e.g., available through June 30, 2026 or 2027, available until Dec 31, 2026 for certain grants, etc.).
- Some provisions require reporting (e.g., Prosecutor Training report due Feb 15, 2025; Violence Prevention Center reporting; Rise Research deliverables; etc.).
- Several programs are set up with targeted baselines and then adjusted base amounts beginning in FY2026 (e.g., Restorative Initiatives, Sexual Assault Exam Costs, etc.).
- The bill appropriates funds across General and State Government Special Revenue, with several onetime appropriations and several ongoing.
Affected Entities
- Minnesota Office of Justice Programs (and related divisions)
- Domestic and sexual violence survivor services providers
- Victim advocacy organizations and crime victims
- Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls Office
- Ramsey County (youth treatment homes; violence prevention)
- Indigenous-relatives focused offices and boards
- Law enforcement and prosecutors (training, pathways to policing)
- Community-based youth and housing programs
- Research organizations (Violence Prevention Center; Rise Research)
- Health care providers administering sexual assault exams
- First responder mental health resources
Impact
- Expands and extends funding for housing, victim services, restorative justice, and prevention initiatives.
- Increases capacity for monitoring, compliance, and program evaluation.
- Introduces targeted programs addressing racial equity, youth in the child welfare/juvenile justice systems, and Indigenous communities.
- Provides onetime and ongoing funding with explicit sunset or end dates for several programs, creating near-term and mid-term policy effect.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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