AB542: Bill Text

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2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE

2023 Assembly BILL 542

October 18, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives Callahan, Spiros, Allen, Armstrong, Brandtjen, Dittrich, Donovan, Edming, Goeben, Green, Michalski, Mursau, Nedweski, O'Connor, Ortiz-Velez, Rettinger, Rodriguez, Schmidt, Steffen and Summerfield, cosponsored by Senators Wanggaard, James, Cabral-Guevara, Feyen, L. Johnson and Quinn. Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

AB542,1,3 An Act to repeal 165.88 (3m) (d); to amend 165.88 (4); and to create 165.88 (3p) of the statutes; relating to: grants to schools to acquire proactive firearm detection software and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, the Department of Justice awards grants to schools to improve school safety. Currently DOJ awards grants to fund eligible expenditures such as training, safety-related upgrades to buildings, equipment, and facilities, and expenditures to provide blueprints or mapping data to law enforcement.

This bill requires DOJ to award grants of up to $325,000 to schools to acquire proactive firearm detection software and provides $4,000,000 in the 2023-25 fiscal biennium for the grants. Under the bill, schools must apply for the grants jointly with the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the school. If the funding is insufficient to award grants to all eligible applicants, the bill requires DOJ to award the grants to qualified applicants in the order that the applications were received.

For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB542,1 Section 1. 165.88 (3m) (d) of the statutes is repealed.

AB542,2 Section 2. 165.88 (3p) of the statutes is created to read:

AB542,2,5 165.88 (3p) Grants to schools for firearm detection software. (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.455 (2) (f), the department of justice shall award grants to school boards and governing bodies of private schools to acquire proactive firearm detection software.

AB542,2,9 (b) The department shall accept applications for the grants under this subsection from school district administrators, or governing bodies of private schools, that are working jointly with local law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the school.

AB542,2,11 (c) Grant moneys awarded under this subsection shall be used to acquire proactive firearm detection software that complies with all of the following:

AB542,2,12 1. The software is developed in the United States.

AB542,2,14 2. The software is designated as qualified anti-terrorism technology under 6 USC 441 et seq.

AB542,2,16 3. The software is designed to integrate with existing school security cameras or other school security alert systems.

AB542,2,21 4. The artificial intelligence software is written and programmable to follow authorized protocol autonomously, or the software is managed directly by the contracted vendor though a constantly monitored operations center that is staffed by highly trained analysts, to rapidly communicate possible seen or unseen threats to end users.

AB542,2,23 5. The software has been successfully deployed in another school district or to a commercial user.

AB542,2,24 (d) A grant awarded under par. (a) may not exceed $325,000.

AB542,3,4 (e) If the moneys allocated for the grants under this subsection in a fiscal biennium are insufficient to pay all qualified applicants under par. (b), the department shall award grants to the qualified applicants in order of application until the allocated funds are depleted.

AB542,3 Section 3. 165.88 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB542,3,9 165.88 (4) Report. The department of justice shall submit an annual report to the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance providing an account of the grants awarded under sub. subs. (2), (3m), and (3p) and the expenditures made with the grant moneys.

AB542,4 Section 4. Fiscal changes.

AB542,3,14 (1) Grant funding. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the department of justice under s. 20.455 (2) (f), the dollar amount for the 2023-24 fiscal year is increased by $4,000,000 to implement the grant program under s. 165.88 (3p).

AB542,3,15 (End)