Code Section

13837.  

(a) (1) The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) shall provide grants to proposed and existing child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse victim counseling centers and prevention programs, including programs for minor victims of human trafficking. Grant recipients shall provide appropriate in-person counseling and referral services during normal business hours, and maintain other standards or services that shall be determined to be appropriate by the advisory committee established pursuant to Section 13836 as grant conditions. The advisory committee shall identify the criteria to be utilized in awarding the grants provided by this chapter before any funds are allocated.

(2) In order to be eligible for funding pursuant to this chapter, the centers shall demonstrate an ability to receive and make use of any funds available from governmental, voluntary, philanthropic, or other sources that may be used to augment any state funds appropriated for purposes of this chapter. Each center receiving funds pursuant to this chapter shall make every attempt to qualify for any available federal funding.

(3) State funds provided to establish centers shall be utilized when possible, as determined by the advisory committee, to expand the program and shall not be expended to reduce fiscal support from other public or private sources. The centers shall maintain quarterly and final fiscal reports in a form to be prescribed by the administering agency. In granting funds, the advisory committee shall give priority to centers which are operated in close proximity to medical treatment facilities.

(b) (1) It is the intent of the Legislature that a goal or purpose of the Cal OES is to ensure that all victims of sexual assault and rape receive comprehensive, quality services, and to decrease the incidence of sexual assault through school and community education and prevention programs.

(2) The Cal OES and the advisory committee established pursuant to Section 13836 shall collaboratively administer sexual assault/rape crisis center victim services programs and provide grants to proposed and existing sexual assault services programs (SASPs) operating local rape victim centers and prevention programs. All SASPs shall provide the services in subparagraphs (A) to (G), inclusive, and to the extent federal funding is made available, shall also provide the service described in subparagraph (H). The Cal OES shall provide financial and technical assistance to SASPs in implementing the following services:

(A) Crisis intervention, 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

(B) Followup counseling services.

(C) In-person counseling, including group counseling.

(D) Accompaniment services.

(E) Advocacy services.

(F) Information and referrals to victims and the general public.

(G) Community education presentations.

(H) Rape prevention presentations and self-defense programs.

(3) The funding process for distributing grant awards to SASPs shall be administered as follows:

(A) The Cal OES and the advisory committee established pursuant to Section 13836 shall collaboratively adopt each of the following:

(i) The process and standards for determining whether to grant, renew, or deny funding to any SASP applying or reapplying for funding under the terms of the program.

(ii) For SASPs applying for grants under the RFP process described in subparagraph (B), a system for grading grant applications in relation to the standards established pursuant to clause (i), and an appeal process for applications that are denied. A description of this grading system and appeal process shall be provided to all SASPs as part of the application required under the RFP process.

(iii) For SASPs reapplying for funding under the RFA process described in subparagraph (D), a system for grading the performance of SASPs in relation to the standards established pursuant to clause (i), and an appeal process for decisions to deny or reduce funding. A description of this grading system and appeal process shall be provided to all SASPs receiving grants under this program.

(B) Grants for centers that have previously not been funded or were not funded in the previous cycle shall be awarded as a result of a competitive request for proposal (RFP) process. The RFP process shall comply with all applicable state and federal statutes for sexual assault/rape crisis center funding, and to the extent possible, the response to the RFP shall not exceed 25 narrative pages, excluding attachments.

(C) Grants shall be awarded to SASPs that propose to maintain services previously granted funding pursuant to this section, to expand existing services or create new services, or to establish new sexual assault/rape crisis centers in underserved or unserved areas. Each grant shall be awarded for a three-year term.

(D) SASPs reapplying for grants are not subject to a competitive bidding grant process, but are subject to a request for application (RFA) process. The RFA process for a SASP reapplying for grant funds shall consist, in part, of an assessment of the past performance history of the SASP in relation to the standards established pursuant to subparagraph (A). The RFA process shall comply with all applicable state and federal statutes for sexual assault/rape crisis center funding, and to the extent possible, the response to the RFA shall not exceed 10 narrative pages, excluding attachments.

(E) Any SASP funded through this program in the previous grant cycle shall be funded upon reapplication, unless its past performance history fails to meet the standards established pursuant to clause (i) of subparagraph (A).

(F) The Cal OES shall conduct a minimum of one site visit every three years for each agency funded to provide sexual assault/rape crisis centers. The purpose of the site visit shall be to conduct a performance assessment of, and provide subsequent technical assistance for, each center visited. The performance assessment shall include, but need not be limited to, a review of all of the following:

(i) Progress in meeting program goals and objectives.

(ii) Agency organization and facilities.

(iii) Personnel policies, files, and training.

(iv) Recordkeeping, budgeting, and expenditures.

(v) Documentation, data collection, and client confidentiality.

(G) After each site visit conducted pursuant to subparagraph (F), the Cal OES shall provide a written report to the SASP summarizing the performance of the SASP, any deficiencies noted, any corrective action needed, and a deadline for corrective action to be completed. The Cal OES shall also develop a corrective action plan for verifying the completion of corrective action required. The Cal OES shall submit its written report to the SASP no more than 60 days after the site visit. A grant under the RFA process shall not be denied if the SASP did not receive a site visit during the previous three years, unless the Cal OES is aware of criminal violations relative to the administration of grant funding.

(H) SASPs receiving written reports of deficiencies or orders for corrective action after a site visit shall be given no less than six months’ time to take corrective action before the deficiencies or failure to correct may be considered in the next RFA process. However, the Cal OES shall have the discretion to reduce the time to take corrective action in cases where the deficiencies present a significant health or safety risk or when other severe circumstances are found to exist. If corrective action is deemed necessary, and a SASP fails to comply, or if other deficiencies exist that, in the judgment of the Cal OES, cannot be corrected, the Cal OES shall determine, using its grading system, whether continued funding for the SASP should be reduced or denied altogether. If a SASP has been determined to be deficient, the Cal OES may, at any point during the SASP’s funding cycle following the expiration of the period for corrective action, deny or reduce further funding.

(I) If a SASP applies or reapplies for funding pursuant to this section and that funding is denied or reduced, the decision to deny or reduce funding shall be provided in writing to the SASP, along with a written explanation of the reasons for the reduction or denial made in accordance with the grading system for the RFP or RFA process. Except as otherwise provided, any appeal of the decision to deny or reduce funding shall be made in accordance with the appeal process established by the Cal OES. The appeal process shall allow a SASP a minimum of 30 days to appeal after a decision to deny or reduce funding. All pending appeals shall be resolved before final funding decisions are reached.

(J) It is the intent of the Legislature that priority for additional funds that become available be given to currently funded, new, or previously unfunded SASPs for expansion of services. However, the Cal OES may determine when expansion is needed to accommodate underserved or unserved areas. If supplemental funding is unavailable, the Cal OES shall have the authority to lower the base level of grants to all currently funded SASPs in order to provide funding for currently funded, new, or previously unfunded SASPs that will provide services in underserved or unserved areas. However, to the extent reasonable, funding reductions shall be reduced proportionately among all currently funded SASPs. After the amount of funding reductions has been determined, SASPs that are currently funded and those applying for funding shall be notified of changes in the available level of funding prior to the next application process. Funding reductions made under this paragraph shall not be subject to appeal.

(K) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the Cal OES may reduce funding to a SASP funded pursuant to this section if federal funding support is reduced. Funding reductions as a result of a reduction in federal funding are not subject to appeal.

(L) This section shall not be construed to supersede any function or duty required by federal acts, rules, regulations, or guidelines for the distribution of federal grants.

(M) As a condition of receiving funding pursuant to this section, a SASP shall do each of the following:

(i) Demonstrate an ability to receive and make use of any funds available from governmental, voluntary, philanthropic, or other sources that may be used to augment any state funds appropriated for purposes of this chapter.

(ii) Make every attempt to qualify for any available federal funding.

(N) For the purposes of this paragraph, “sexual assault” means an act or attempt made punishable by Section 220, 261, 261.5, 264.1, 266c, 285, 286, 287, 288, or 647.6, or former Section 262 or 288a.

(O) For the purposes of this paragraph, “sexual assault services program” or “SASP” means an agency operating a sexual assault/rape crisis center.