Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. Introduction.
The Programs for Victims of Family Violence Fund was established by Acts 60 and
61 of the first Extraordinary Session, 1983 Louisiana Legislature, for the
purpose of providing supplemental funding for family violence programs. Act
1056 of the 1986 Louisiana Legislature provides for the collection of
additional marriage license fees by the clerk of court in each parish for
deposit into the Programs for Victims of Family Violence Fund effective
September, 1986. The amount of the additional fee will be $12.50 per marriage
license. The fees will accumulate in the fund each fiscal year to be
appropriated by the legislature for the following fiscal year. After the
accumulated fees are appropriated by the legislature, the Office of Women's
Services is authorized to make allocations from the fund to local family
violence programs. The maximum allowable amount of monies available for
distribution during any fiscal year to a program serving any parish or parishes
will be the amount of fees collected in that parish or parishes during that
fiscal year. Any monies generated by the fees collected in a parish, which have
not been allocated for family violence services during that fiscal year, will
remain to the credit of the parish and will be available for distribution to
local family violence programs serving that parish.
B. Definitions
Family or Household Members - spouses,
former spouses, or children of either or both such persons.
Family Violence - any assault, battery, or
other physical abuse which occurs between family or household members, who
reside together or who formerly resided together.
C. Eligible Organizations
1. In order to be eligible to apply for funds
under the Programs for Victims of Family Violence Fund, the applicant
organization must, at a minimum, meet the following criteria:
a. must have the primary purpose of providing
assistance to victims of family violence or operate a program whose primary
purpose is providing assistance to family violence victims;
b. must be locally administered by a public
or private nonprofit organization;
c. must provide services that include, but
are not limited to, the following:
i.
counseling for victims or their spouses;
ii. around-the-clock shelter which provides
safe refuge and temporary lodging for victims of family violence and their
minor, unmarried children, or referral to such a shelter;
iii. support programs that assist victims of
family violence in obtaining needed medical, legal, or other services and
information;
iv. educational
programs relating to family violence in order to increase community
awareness.
2.
Must meet minimum health, safety, and program standards adopted by the Office
of Women's Services. (Copies of standards available through Office of Women's
Services, Box 94095, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9095.)
3. Must demonstrate that it has received or
can expect to receive funding equal to 20 percent of its anticipated cost of
operation from the area served by the program. In-kind contributions may be
evaluated and included as part of the required local funding.
D. Allowable Costs
1. The costs incurred for the provision of
services to victims of family violence would include the following categories:
a. the payment of salaries and fringe for
personnel working in the program;
b. the payment of travel expenses for
personnel to conduct program business;
c. the payment of rent, utilities, food,
supplies, and other general operating expenses of the program;
d. the purchase of equipment and essential
furniture for the program;
e. the
payment of indirect costs for administration of the family violence grant and
for professional consultation services.
2. Line item changes may be made only with
prior approval from the Office of Women's Services. The clerk of court may
retain 5 percent of the fees collected in the parish for administrative costs
prior to deposit into the fund. The Office of Women's Services will retain 5
percent of the amount appropriated from the fund for administrative
costs.
3. State funds may not be
used to urge any elector to vote for or against any candidate or proposition on
an election ballot, or to lobby for or against any proposition or matter having
the effect of law being considered by the legislature or any local governing
authority.
E.
Application Process
1. Notification of the
availability of funds for family violence programs for each fiscal year will be
given through the Office of Women's Services.
2. Application packets will be sent to all
existing family violence program providers and all persons/organizations who
have made past inquiries regarding funding. Interested potential applicants may
request application packets from the Office of Women's Services, Box 94095,
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9095.
3. The
application packet will be mailed within five working days of receipt of
request.
4. The applications must
be received by the Office of Women's Services by June 1 of each year.
5. All applications will be evaluated and
prioritized according to the stated criteria for evaluation. During the
evaluation process, applicants may be contacted by the Office of Women's
Services to review and negotiate the application and proposed budget.
6. Applicants will be notified by the Office
of Women's Services as to the final decision within 60 days of receipt of the
application.
7. The contracts will
be signed, and distribution of funds will begin within 45 days of final
approval of the contract.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
46:2121.1(1)R.S.
46:2126, R.S. 45:2127 and
R.S.
46:2128.
