SB-1617, As Passed Senate, November 13, 2008

SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE BILL NO. 1617

     A bill to create the children's advocacy center act; to create

the children's advocacy center fund; to provide for distributions

from the fund; to prescribe the powers and duties of the fund

administrator; and to prescribe the powers and duties of certain

state officials.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

     Sec. 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the

"children's advocacy center act".

     Sec. 2. As used in this act:

     (a) "Board" means the board of directors of the Michigan

chapter of the national children's alliance.

     (b) "Children's advocacy center" means an entity accredited as

a child advocacy center by the national children's alliance or its

successor agency.

     (c) "Fund" means the children's advocacy center fund created

in section 3.

     Sec. 3. (1) The children's advocacy center fund is created

within the state treasury.

     (2) The state treasurer may receive money or other assets from

any source for deposit into the fund. The state treasurer shall

direct the investment of the fund. The statute treasurer shall

credit to the fund interest and earnings from fund investments.

     (3) Money in the fund at the close of the fiscal year shall

remain in the fund and shall not lapse to the general fund.

     (4) The board of directors of the Michigan chapter of the

national children's alliance shall be the administrator of the fund

for auditing purposes.

     Sec. 4. (1) Money shall not be expended from the fund for the

first year after the effective date of this act. Beginning 2 years

after the effective date of this act, the board may expend money

from the fund as appropriated. Money in the fund shall be expended

only as follows:

     (a) To provide investigative, assessment, counseling, support,

and educational services to victims of child sexual abuse and their

families through children's advocacy centers.

     (b) To pay the actual and reasonable operating costs of

children's advocacy centers.

     (c) To provide training related to child sexual abuse for

personnel employed or otherwise retained by children's advocacy

centers.

     (d) To improve the detection, investigation, treatment, and

prevention of child sexual abuse through the coordinated activities

of children's advocacy centers, medical care providers, crime

victim organizations, and local, state, and federal law enforcement

officials.

     (e) To improve public awareness of child sexual abuse through

the use of children's advocacy centers.

     (f) To pay the actual and reasonable costs of administering

the fund. Not more than 10% of distributions made in any fiscal

year shall be used to pay administrative costs under this

subdivision.

     (2) The board shall require an annual audit of income and

expenditures under this section and shall provide an annual report

of incomes and expenditures to the secretary of the senate and the

clerk of the house of representatives by February 1 of each year.

     Enacting section 1. This act takes effect January 1, 2009.

     Enacting section 2. This act does not take effect unless all

of the following bills of the 94th Legislature are enacted into

law:

     (a) Senate Bill No. 1616.

     (b) Senate Bill No. 1618.

     (c) House Bill No. 5054.

     (d) House Bill No. 5055.