AN ACT to appropriate funds to support the north carolina council for women and youth involvement and other entities that serve populations affected by domestic violence.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Administration, North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement, the sum of eighty thousand dollars ($80,000) in recurring funds for the 2023‑2024 fiscal year to be used to hire one permanent, full‑time position at the North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement that would, at a minimum, do each of the following:

(1)        Serve as a liaison between the Council and the North Carolina court system.

(2)        Serve as a liaison between the Council and the Domestic Violence Commission.

(3)        Provide oversight, technical assistance, and materials to existing and developing Domestic Violence Intervention Programs throughout the State.

(4)        Seek funding and other assistance to make Domestic Violence Intervention Programs available in counties throughout the State that do not yet have these programs.

(5)        Support national efforts to guide, research, and train those that do work similar to that of Domestic Violence Intervention Programs.

SECTION 2.(a)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Administration, North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2023‑2024 fiscal year to be used to provide grants throughout the State for the purpose of developing, maintaining, or expanding Domestic Violence Intervention Programs.

SECTION 2.(b)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Administration, North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2023‑2024 fiscal year to be used to provide grants to Domestic Violence Intervention Programs throughout the State for the purpose of allowing these programs to pay for language interpreters, sign language interpreters, or other services that benefit uniquely vulnerable populations.

SECTION 2.(c)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Administration, North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2023‑2024 fiscal year to be used to provide grants to Domestic Violence Intervention Programs throughout the State for the purpose of training for staff to include emerging and evidence‑based innovations and best practices with regard to intervention programs.

SECTION 2.(d)  The North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement shall establish the procedures and criteria for awarding grants under this section. These procedures and criteria shall comply with the State Budget Act. The Council shall make the final decision on the award of grants and shall announce the award publicly in a timely manner.

SECTION 2.(e)  On or before November 1 of each fiscal year until grant funds are expended, the North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement shall report the complete history of distributions of grant funds made pursuant to this section to the chairs of the House General Government Appropriations Committee, the chairs of the Senate Appropriations on General Government and Information Technology Committee, and the Fiscal Research Division of the General Assembly. The report shall include, at a minimum, the date, amount, and recipient of each distribution of grant funds, as well as the current balance of funds appropriated or allocated to be distributed as grant funds under subsections (a) and (b) of this section.

SECTION 2.(f)  Funds appropriated in this section shall not revert but shall remain available for expenditure by the Council for the purposes set forth in this section.

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2023.