HOUSE BILL NO. 4661

A bill to establish a crime victim communication modernization grant program to provide grants to certain state and local governmental officers to modernize communication with victims of crime and other individuals; to create the crime victim communication modernization fund and provide for the distribution of money from the fund; to provide for appropriations; and to provide for the powers and duties of certain state and local governmental officers and entities.

the people of the state of michigan enact:

Sec. 1. This act may be cited as the "crime victim communication modernization act".

Sec. 3. As used in this act:

(a) "Department" means the department of technology, management, and budget.

(b) "Fund" means the crime victim communication modernization fund created in section 7.

(c) "Law enforcement agency" means an entity that is established and maintained in accordance with the laws of this state and is authorized by the laws of this state to appoint or employ law enforcement officers.

(d) "Law enforcement officer" means an individual licensed under the Michigan commission on law enforcement standards act, 1965 PA 203, MCL 28.601 to 28.615.

(e) "Local unit of government" means a political subdivision of this state, including a school district, community college district, intermediate school district, city, village, township, county, and authority, if the political subdivision has as its primary purpose the providing of local governmental services for residents in a geographically limited area of this state and has the power to act primarily on behalf of that area.

(f) "Office" means the office of the Michigan public safety communications system established within the department.

(g) "Program" or "grant program" means the crime victim communication modernization program created in section 5.

Sec. 5. (1) The crime victim communication modernization program is established to provide grants to state or local agencies or officials, law enforcement agencies, or local units of government, to modernize communication with crime victims and other individuals.

(2) The office shall establish standards for use by state or local agencies or officials, law enforcement agencies, or local units of government, to modernize communication with crime victims and other individuals. Standards established by the office must include, but are not limited to, all of the following:

(a) Methods to provide all of the following:

(i) Automated updates and messages to a crime victim or an individual without requiring the crime victim or individual to download an application, create an account, or register through a website, telephone call, or other method, including, but not limited to, an email or text message.

(ii) Support messaging and survey functions in multiple languages that are appropriate for each community in which the messaging or function is deployed. Messages and survey responses must roll up to an English-language dashboard for review by a state or local agency or official, a law enforcement agency, or a local unit of government. A crime victim or individual must be able to choose the language interface that the crime victim or individual wishes to use.

(b) Utilization of communication technology to create a community engagement process that saves time and reduces costs. Communication technology utilized under this subdivision must meet the following criteria:

(i) Ensure transparency, accountability, and effective communication from the beginning through the end of an individual's interaction with the criminal justice and public safety functions of a state or local agency or official, law enforcement agency, or local unit of government.

(ii) Provide and enhance notification capabilities, including an increase in outgoing notifications to crime victims and other individuals from a state or local agency or official, law enforcement agency, or local unit of government.

(iii) Provide relevant feedback that allows a state or local agency or official, law enforcement agency, or local unit of government to benchmark community perception.

(iv) Automatically provide 1-to-1 updates and related information to individuals through email or text messages. Items under this subparagraph include dashboards to capture trends over a period of time, additional opt-in campaigns allowing individuals to participate in a 1-to-many message format to receive information on issues important to the community and regarding law enforcement campaigns, a public-facing online web-based portal where an individual can opt in to receive additional emails and text messages regarding the incident, case, or any other item determined appropriate by the office.

(v) Provide the capability to allow individuals to leverage conversational AI to power human-like, bidirectional real-time communication with individuals through voice, text messages, and emails, including a virtual agent that responds and asks questions based on the individual's queries and responses, resolving issues and minimizing the need for human engagement.

(vi) Enable an agency to track and audit the message traffic sent to partner agencies in order to ensure that privacy and security protections are maintained.

(vii) Provide automatic text messages and emails, including hyperlinks to resources and PDF attachments containing resources, to individuals who interact with a state or local agency or official, law enforcement agency, or local unit of government. Subject to existing state laws, text messages or emails provided under this subparagraph may include any of the following information:

(A) The creation of an incident report.

(B) Updates on the involvement of the state or local agency or official, law enforcement agency, or local unit of government regarding an incident.

(C) Whether a report was filed and received.

(D) Notification that a case has been opened.

(E) Notification that an arrest has been made.

(F) Notification that a case is pending forensic results.

(G) Notification that a case has been sent to a prosecutor.

(H) Updates to crime victims with other relevant information.

(I) Notification that a case has been closed.

(J) Other items determined appropriate by the office.

(viii) Provide all of the following to an individual as soon as practicable:

(A) Relevant contact information that relates to the incident as soon as the incident has been assigned to a law enforcement officer, prosecutor, or other governmental official for further action or consideration.

(B) Any updates or changes to the information provided under sub-subparagraph (A).

(C) Any updates or changes to the information previously provided in any communication to that individual.

(3) The office may award a grant in accordance with this act to, or enter into a contract with, a state or local agency or official, law enforcement agency, or local unit of government that does all of the following:

(a) Agrees to comply with this act and the standards established by the office under this act.

(b) Submits an application to the office in the manner prescribed by the office.

(c) Agrees to use the money awarded under this act for purposes described under this act, and for no other purpose.

Sec. 7. (1) The crime victim communication modernization fund is created in the department of treasury.

(2) The office is the administrator of the fund for auditing purposes.

(3) The state treasurer may receive money from appropriations or money or other assets from any source for deposit into the fund. The state treasurer shall direct the investment of the fund. The state treasurer shall credit to the fund interest and earnings from fund investments. Money from grants or gifts received for the purposes described under this act must be deposited into the fund and used for the purposes described in this act.

(4) Money in the fund at the close of the fiscal year must remain in the fund and must not lapse to the general fund.

(5) The office shall use the money in the fund, including the interest and earnings, solely for the purposes described under this act.

(6) The office shall ensure that grants awarded under the program are used to comply with the standards established under this act and are consistent with the laws of this state and department policy to most efficiently and effectively comply with this act.

(7) Money from the fund must be used for all of the following purposes:

(a) By the office to comply with this act.

(b) By a state or local agency or official, law enforcement agency, or local unit of government that demonstrates compliance with technology and the standards established by the office.

(8) Money from the fund may be used for a program that is similar to the program established under this act if the similar program implemented or created by a state or local agency or official, law enforcement agency, or local unit of government before the effective date of this act. If a similar program already exists before the effective date of this act, money in the fund may be used to ensure that that similar program complies with this act. A state or local agency or official, law enforcement agency, or local unit of government is eligible to receive money from the fund to establish and maintain the program under this act even if a similar program already exists before the effective date of this act.

Sec. 9. Money in the fund may be used to match funds for federal grants if those funds are used for the purposes described in this act.

Sec. 11. Not later than March 15 of each year, the office shall send a report on the activities of the fund during the preceding calendar year to each member of the legislature, the governor, the clerk of the house of representatives, the secretary of the senate, and the senate and house fiscal agencies.

Sec. 13. (1) For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, there is appropriated and transferred from the general fund to the fund $7,000,000.00. The money transferred to the fund under this subsection is appropriated and available for allocation as authorized in section 7.

(2) The appropriation authorized under this section is a work project appropriation and any unencumbered or unallotted funds are carried forward into the following fiscal year. The following is in compliance with section 451a of the management and budget act, 1984 PA 431, MCL 18.1451a:

(a) The purpose of the work project is to carry out the activities and purposes described in section 7.

(b) The work project will be accomplished through the use of state employees or contracts, or both.

(c) The total estimated completion cost of the work project is $7,000,000.00.

(d) The estimated completion date of the work project is September 30, 2026.

Sec. 15. Not more than 1 year after the effective date of this act, the office shall ensure that the standards established under this act facilitate the modernized communication with and notifications to crime victims as described under section 3a of the William Van Regenmorter crimes victim's rights act, 1985 PA 87, MCL 780.753a.

Enacting section 1. This act takes effect 90 days after the date it is enacted into law.

Enacting section 2. This act does not take effect unless Senate Bill No. ???____ (request no. S02388'25) or House Bill No. 4662 (request no. H02388'25) of the 103rd Legislature is enacted into law.