Sec. 130.913.  RURAL PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE SALARY ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM.  (a)  In this section:
(1)  "Grant" means a grant authorized to be awarded by the comptroller under the rural prosecutor's office salary assistance grant program established by this section.
(2)  "Qualified prosecutor's office" means, in a jurisdiction with a population of 300,000 or less, the office of a district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney with criminal prosecution duties.
(b)  The comptroller shall establish and administer the rural prosecutor's office salary assistance grant program to support the state purpose of ensuring professional legal representation of the people's interests throughout the state by providing financial assistance to qualified prosecutor's offices.
(c)  Not later than the 30th day after the first day of a qualified prosecutor's office's fiscal year, the prosecutor's office may submit an application for a grant to the comptroller.  A prosecutor's office may submit only one application each fiscal year.
(d)  The comptroller shall award a grant to a qualified prosecutor's office that applies for the grant using money appropriated to the comptroller for that purpose.  The grant must be in the following applicable amount:
(1)  $100,000 if the prosecutor's office's jurisdiction has a population of less than 10,000;
(2)  $175,000 if the prosecutor's office's jurisdiction has a population of 10,000 or more and less than 50,000; or
(3)  $275,000 if the prosecutor's office's jurisdiction has a population of 50,000 or more and 300,000 or less.
(e)  A prosecutor's office that is awarded a grant shall use or authorize the use of the grant money only:
(1)  to increase the salary of an assistant attorney, an investigator, or a victim assistance coordinator employed at the office; or
(2)  to hire additional staff for the office.
(f)  A county may not reduce the amount of funds provided to a prosecutor's office because of grant funds provided under this section.
(g)  The comptroller shall adopt rules necessary to implement this section, including rules that establish:
(1)  a standardized application process, including the form to be used to apply for a grant and the manner of submitting the form;
(2)  deadlines for:
(A)  applying for the grant;
(B)  disbursement of grant money; and
(C)  spending grant money; and
(3)  procedures for:
(A)  monitoring the disbursement of grant money to ensure compliance with this section; and
(B)  the return of grant money that was not used by a qualified prosecutor's office for a purpose authorized by this section.
Added by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 370 (S.B. 22), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2023.