House Bill 4446
Sponsor: Rep. Paul Gieleghem
Committee: Criminal Law and Corrections
Complete to 11-6-00
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4446 AS INTRODUCED 4-13-99
The bill would create the D.A.R.E. Advisory Council Act to create a D.A.R.E. (drug abuse resistance education) Policy Council within the Department of State Police. The council would be charged with various responsibilities, including promoting the D.A.R.E. program throughout the state, advising the department on establishing such a program for law enforcement officers, encouraging parental and community involvement in the programs, and receiving money from public and private sources for use in the program. In addition, the program would assist law enforcement agencies or school districts by providing grants to enable police officers to undergo training to teach drug abuse resistance in schools.
Council membership and operation. The council would consist of up to 17 members who would serve for two-year terms. Members could succeed themselves if reappointed or reelected. Council membership would include the attorney general, the Department of State Police director, and the governor (or their designees), as well as one representative of each of the following: the D.A.R.E. Officers' Association of Michigan, the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Michigan Sheriffs' Association (all appointed by their respective organizations). The governor would also appoint one person to represent substance abuse concerns in the state and four people to represent educational concerns. In addition, up to five other members could be appointed by a majority vote of the twelve members listed above.
At its first regular meeting, the council would elect a chairperson from its membership who would serve for one year. Elections for chair would be held annually, and a chairperson could succeed him or her self. The chair person would appoint committee chairs, with the council's approval. The committee chairs could also serve successive terms.
The council would have to meet at least quarterly (in January, April, July, and October) and at other times deemed necessary by the chairperson, and a majority of members would be required for a quorum to conduct council business. Council members would serve without compensation,
but they would be entitled to actual expenses incurred during attendance at council meetings and in traveling to and from meetings.
Powers. The D.A.R.E. council would exercise its prescribed powers, duties, and functions independent from the department director, while its budgeting, procurement, and related management functions would be performed under the director's direction and supervision. The council would be authorized to do all of the following:
* Advise the department in establishing a D.A.R.E. training program for law enforcement officers, and, with the department, monitor the program;
* Promote D.A.R.E. throughout the state;
* Offer coordination and assistance to local communities interested in implementing D.A.R.E. programs in their local school systems, and encourage parental and community involvement in such programs;
* Develop a private and public partnership to provide for continuation of and funding for the program, and receive money from public and private sources for use in the program.
Program development, grants. Under the bill, the D.A.R.E. program would assist law enforcement agencies or school districts by providing grants to enable police officers to undergo training to teach drug abuse resistance in schools. The department would have to develop such a training program, and it would have to be approved by the director. Also, the director would have to administer and promote the program throughout the state, and could receive money from public and private sources for use in carrying out the program. Grant money could be used to cover the cost of training and reimbursement for actual, reasonable travel and living expenses incurred related to the training.
The program would be available to school districts and local law enforcement agencies on a voluntary basis, and if grant requests were received from more than one applicant for programs to be conducted in a single school district, the director would have to require them to submit a plan to coordinate their training and programs. The director could require grant recipients to account at reasonable time intervals regarding the use of grant money and the training and programs provided.
Analyst: W. Flory