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Meeting Date:	01/25/2021
County Innovations Grant
Submitted for:	Isidro Alaniz	Submitted By:	David Sanchez
Department:	District Attorney

Subject:

Discussion and possible action to approve the submission of a grant application to the Office of the Governor Public Safety Office Criminal Justice Division for a County Innovations Grant estimated at $250,000 over the term of the contract. The District Attorney's Office will utilize this funding opportunity to prevent, investigate, and/or prosecute the commercial sexual exploitation of people in Texas. This formal request shall authorize the County Judge to act as the County's Executive Officer and Authorized Representative in all matters pertaining to the County's participation in this grant. There is no match requirement for this grant. All grant documents were sent for review through the Economic Development Department and the solicitation is compliant with the Webb County Single Point of Contact (SPOC) procedures. Contract Term: October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022. [Requested by Isidro "Chilo" Alaniz, District Attorney]

Issue: There is a need for resources to address the issue of sexual exploitation in our community. Persons who have suffered abuse in childhood or adolescence are susceptible to being sexually trafficked or exploited. There is a need to train those involved in the criminal justice system on how to identify potential and current victims and stop the cycle of exploitation. The Office of the Governor of Texas has provided available resources through a grant opportunity to enhance awareness, intervention and prevention of this serious issue.

Solution: Authorize the submission of the grant application as set forth above to ensure that the District Attorney’s Office, CPS Court and 406th District Court may create a diversion program for potential and current victims of sexual exploitation.

Result: The District Attorney's Office will have the opportunity to receive additional resources to continue its work in identifying and fighting for victims of sexual exploitation. This will also result in a reduction of criminal activity related to sexual exploitation in our community.

Background:

In addition to diverting adult offenders away from this harmful lifestyle, the District Attorney’s Office will utilize this grant to conduct early identification of juveniles who may be susceptible to victimization and prevent them from entering the adult criminal justice system. This is an application for a new grant. There is no funding currently in place for such an initiative.

Previous Court Action:

N/A

Fiscal Impact

Budget Account Number:	N/A
Funding Source:	N/A
Balance:	N/A
Financial Impact:
This is a new grant application therefore no fund number has been assigned to this project. Please note, there is no financial impact to the General Fund with this grant.

Attachments
Letter of Intent
Funding Opportunity Announcement