Establishes the New York state justice reinvestment fund and program to provide not-for-profit and faith based entities with funding to improve communities with a higher than normal criminal offender and ex-offender population; appropriates $10,000,000 therefor.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6294
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 3, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. PEOPLES-STOKES -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Correction
AN ACT to amend the state finance law and the executive law, in relation
to establishing the New York state justice reinvestment fund and the
New York state justice reinvestment program; and making an appropri-
ation therefor
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section
2 99-ss to read as follows:
3 § 99-ss. New York state justice reinvestment fund. 1. There is hereby
4 established in the joint custody of the state comptroller and the
5 commissioner of the division of criminal justice services an account to
6 be known as the New York state justice reinvestment fund.
7 2. Such fund shall consist of all moneys appropriated for the purpose
8 of such fund, all other moneys credited or transferred to such fund
9 pursuant to law, all moneys required by the provisions of this section
10 or any other law to be paid into or credited to such fund, and all
11 moneys received by the fund or donated to it.
12 3. Moneys of such fund shall be available for appropriation and allo-
13 cation to the division of criminal justice services for purposes of
14 distributing such moneys to qualified entities of the New York state
15 justice reinvestment program pursuant to section eight hundred forty-
16 four of the executive law.
17 4. Moneys shall be paid out on the audit and warrant of the comp-
18 troller on vouchers certified or approved by the commissioner of crimi-
19 nal justice services.
20 § 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 844 to read
21 as follows:
22 § 844. New York state justice reinvestment program. 1. Creation and
23 purposes. The commissioner shall establish within the division a New
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02059-01-5
A. 6294 2
1 York state justice reinvestment program. The purpose of the program is
2 to have state and local criminal justice agencies, and as part of a
3 larger effort including courts, district attorneys and criminal defense
4 offices, to work in partnership with not-for-profit organizations and
5 faith-based organizations in the community on issues such as re-entry
6 into the community for incarcerated individuals, incarceration alterna-
7 tives, family support programs for offenders and ex-offenders, as well
8 as other issues related to improving the role of the criminal justice
9 system in our communities.
10 2. Qualified entity. (a) A qualified entity shall be either a not-for-
11 profit organization or faith-based organization providing one or more of
12 the following services:
13 (i) re-entry support for incarcerated individuals returning to the
14 community, including, but not limited to job development and housing
15 assistance;
16 (ii) incarceration alternatives, including, but not limited to commu-
17 nity service programs, community youth court, alternative high schools,
18 service-enriched supportive housing and community based drug treatment
19 programs;
20 (iii) family support, including, but not limited to
21 fatherhood/parenting programs, for offenders and ex-offenders; and
22 (iv) community based collaborative programs with criminal justice
23 agencies.
24 (b) A qualified entity shall be located in communities which have a
25 higher than normal concentration of offenders and ex-offenders, as
26 determined by the commissioner.
27 (c) A qualified entity's services shall have a primary emphasis on
28 communities which have a higher than normal concentration of offenders
29 and ex-offenders, as determined by the commissioner.
30 (d) A qualified entity shall submit a strategic plan to the commis-
31 sioner detailing how the applicant's program will reduce crime and reci-
32 divism in communities with a higher than normal concentration of offen-
33 ders and ex-offenders, as determined by the commissioner.
34 3. Application. Any qualified entity seeking funds from the division
35 shall file an application, as determined by the commissioner. All funds
36 authorized pursuant to this subdivision shall be paid from the New York
37 state justice reinvestment fund in accordance with section ninety-nine-
38 ss of the state finance law.
39 4. Responsibilities of the commissioner. (a) The commissioner shall
40 promulgate rules and regulations for the application of grant money from
41 the New York state justice reinvestment fund.
42 (b) The commissioner shall designate qualified entities based on the
43 application criteria established by this section and additional criteria
44 as determined by the commissioner.
45 § 3. The sum of ten million dollars ($10,000,000), or so much thereof
46 as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the New York state
47 justice reinvestment fund from the general fund, for administration of
48 grants to qualified entities selected by the division of criminal
49 justice services.
50 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
