SB 22-037

Senate Bill 22-037, also known as the Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program, updates how grants are awarded for youth services in Colorado. It removes state agencies from being eligible to receive these grants and focuses on community-based organizations that can provide prevention services like reducing crime, preventing drug use, and helping students stay in school. The bill also ensures that any organization receiving funds meets certain criteria and prioritizes programs based on the needs of their communities. Since it has been signed into law, this means that the changes described are now official policy and will be implemented by relevant departments in Colorado.

Official Summary

The act makes changes to the Tony Grampsas youth services program (program). The act eliminates state agencies and state-operated programs from the list of entities that can apply for a grant to participate in the program and changes the definition of "entity" to ensure compliance with federal case law. The act adds prevention services to the services provided for youth and their families through community-based programming, including services for reducing crime and violence, abuse and neglect, drug and alcohol use, and school dropouts. The act changes certain criteria for adult and youth members to be appointed to the Tony Grampsas youth services board and requires the grant application process for participating in the program to identify and prioritize funding programs that meet a need in the community. The act requires entities that provide evidence-informed services for the youth mentoring services program to meet certain criteria. The act specifies for entities providing services for the Colorado student before-and-after-school project that the services may include alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use intervention, prevention, and education components. The act requires unexpended and unencumbered money remaining in the funds that support the program at the end of a state fiscal year to remain in the funds and available for expenditure by the state department in the following state fiscal year without further appropriations to the funds. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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