Creates a police safety equipment grant program to provide for services and expenses related to police safety equipment; directs a sum of $30,000,000 to be appropriated to such program.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A3281
SPONSOR: Smith
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to creating the police
safety equipment grant program; and making an appropriation therefor
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To provide law enforcement agencies with safety equipment for their
police officers.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Bill provides $30,000,008 for police safety equipment.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The deaths of NYPD Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos brought to
light the need for safety equipment for law enforcement officers. This
grant will allow law enforcement agencies in need of safety equipment,
including bullet resistant vests, riot shields and other safety equip-
ment, to apply for grants in order to purchase such equipment.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024: A5532 Referred to governmental operations
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
The cost of this grant program will be borne by the State.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3281
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 27, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SMITH, ANGELINO, CHANG, NOVAKHOV, MANKTELOW,
MIKULIN, MORINELLO, MILLER, TANNOUSIS, BLANKENBUSH, RA, PALMESANO,
BRABENEC, DeSTEFANO -- read once and referred to the Committee on
Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to creating the police
safety equipment grant program; and making an appropriation therefor
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 839-a
2 to read as follows:
3 § 839-a. Police safety equipment grant program. There is hereby
4 created within the division of criminal justice services a police safety
5 equipment grant program to be administered by the commissioner to award
6 grants to provide for services and expenses related to police safety
7 equipment including, but not limited to, bullet resistant vests, ballis-
8 tic vehicle door panels, riot shields, conducted energy devices and
9 portable electronic tablets. A grant may be awarded upon submission of
10 an application to the commissioner. Such application for a grant shall
11 demonstrate a specific need for an award of a grant to provide protec-
12 tive equipment for police officers as defined in section 1.20 of the
13 criminal procedure law.
14 § 2. The sum of thirty million dollars ($30,000,000), or so much ther-
15 eof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the police safety
16 equipment grant program as established pursuant to section 839-a of the
17 executive law from any moneys in the state treasury not otherwise appro-
18 priated and made immediately available to the division of criminal
19 justice services for distribution to local law enforcement agencies for
20 the purposes of carrying out the provisions of this act. Such moneys
21 shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the comptroller on vouchers
22 certified or approved by the commissioner of criminal justice services
23 in the manner prescribed by law.
24 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01498-01-5