No. CS/HB 709
Filed under Criminal Justice.
Internet Crimes Against Children Programs; Renames Online Sting Operations Grant Program created within FDLE as Internet Crimes Against Children Grant Program; revises purpose of grant program; revises authorized uses for grant program funds; creates Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Funding Program within FDLE; specifies how program funds may be used; requires specified percentage distribution of program moneys; authorizes department to adopt rules.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDThe bill renames the Online Sting Operations Grant Program to the Internet Crimes Against Children Grant Program. It broadens the scope of eligible activities beyond sting operations to include general work combating online child exploitation.
Eligibility expands from local law enforcement agencies to affiliates. An affiliate is an agency with a current memorandum of understanding with a recognized task force or designated in good standing by the department.
A new Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Funding Program is created within the department. It provides a stable funding source for task forces, with eighty percent of funds divided equally among them and twenty percent retained by the department.
The department is authorized to adopt rules to implement and administer the new task force funding program. This grants the department discretion to establish specific criteria and time periods for the grant selection process.
AIThe grant program is renamed from Online Sting Operations to Internet Crimes Against Children, and its purpose is broadened from creating sting operations to supporting work to combat online child exploitation.
AIGrants may now be awarded to local law enforcement affiliates, defined as agencies with a current memorandum of understanding with an established Internet crimes against children task force or designated by the department as being in good standing.
AIGrant funds may now cover overtime pay, travel, investigative or digital forensics training, hardware, or software, replacing the previous limit to computers, electronics, software, and other related necessary supplies.
AIA new Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Funding Program is created within the department to provide a stable funding source for task forces, with 80% of appropriated moneys divided equally among task forces and 20% to the department.