2017 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 26 - Human Services Code
Article 6.8 - Tony Grampsas Youth Services Program
§ 26-6.8-103. Tony Grampsas youth services board - members - duties

(1) (a) There is hereby created the Tony Grampsas youth services board consisting of four adult members appointed by the governor, two youth members appointed by the governor, three adult members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, two adult members appointed by the president of the senate, and one adult member appointed by the minority leader of the senate. For the initial appointments, the governor shall appoint members to the board after the speaker of the house of representatives and the president and the minority leader of the senate have made appointments. No more than seven of the members appointed to the board shall be members of the same political party.

(b) In addition to the appointed board members, the executive director shall serve as a member of the board.

(c) At the first meeting of the board, the members of the board shall choose a chairperson and a vice-chairperson.

(d) (I) In appointing adult members to the board, the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the president and the minority leader of the senate shall:

(A) Choose persons who have a knowledge and awareness of innovative strategies for youth crime prevention and intervention services and for reducing the occurrence and reoccurrence of child abuse and neglect; and

(B) Appoint one or more persons who possess knowledge and awareness of early childhood care and education. For purposes of this sub-subparagraph (B), "early childhood" means younger than nine years of age.

(II) In appointing members to the board, the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate shall each appoint at least one person who has a knowledge and awareness of student issues, including the causes of student dropout in secondary schools, as well as innovative strategies for reducing the dropout rate among secondary school students.

(III) In appointing members to the board, the governor shall:

(A) Appoint at least one person who is representative of a minority community;

(B) Appoint at least one person who is knowledgeable in the area of child abuse prevention; and

(C) Appoint at least one person who is knowledgeable in the area of community planning for youth violence prevention.

(IV) In appointing youth members to the board, the governor shall appoint members who are at least fifteen years of age and younger than twenty-six years of age.

(e) (I) The appointed members of the board shall serve three-year terms; except that, of the members first appointed, one of the members appointed by the governor shall serve a two-year term, two of the members appointed by the governor shall serve one-year terms, one of the members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives shall serve a two-year term, and one of the members appointed by the president of the senate shall serve a two-year term. The respective appointing person shall choose those members who shall serve initial shortened terms. If a vacancy arises in one of the appointed offices, the authority making the original appointment shall fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term.

(II) Adult members of the board shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed out of available appropriations for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Youth members of the board may receive a per diem as compensation for their service, which per diem may not exceed thirty dollars for each day upon which each youth member performs his or her duties for the board. Youth members of the board may also be reimbursed out of available appropriations for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

(f) The board is authorized to meet, when necessary, via telecommunications.

(2) (a) The board shall develop and make available program guidelines, including but not limited to:

(I) Guidelines for proposal design;

(II) Local public-to-private funding match requirements; and

(III) Processes for local review and prioritization of program applications.

(b) In addition to the guidelines developed pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection (2), the board shall develop criteria for awarding grants under the Tony Grampsas youth services program, including but not limited to the following requirements:

(I) That the program is operated in cooperation with a local government, a local governmental agency, or a local nonprofit or not-for-profit agency;

(II) That the program is community-based, receiving input from organizations in the community such as schools, community mental health centers, local nonprofit or not-for-profit agencies, local law enforcement agencies, businesses, and individuals within the community; and

(III) (A) That the program is directed at providing intervention services to youth and their families in an effort to decrease incidents of crime and violence or that the program is directed at providing services to at-risk students and their families in an effort to reduce the dropout rate in secondary schools pursuant to section 26-6.8-105.

(B) If an entity is seeking a grant from the board for a student dropout prevention and intervention program pursuant to section 26-6.8-105, one of the criteria that the board shall consider is whether the program has been implemented elsewhere, if known, and, if so, the relative success of the program. It is not required, however, that the program be previously implemented for the board to award a grant to the entity.

(C) If an entity is seeking a grant from the board for a program directed at providing intervention services to youth and their families in an effort to decrease incidents of crime and violence, one of the criteria that the board shall consider is whether the program includes restorative justice components. It is not required, however, that the program include restorative justice components for the board to award a grant to the entity.

(c) In addition to the guidelines and criteria developed pursuant to paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection (2), the board shall develop result-oriented criteria for measuring the effectiveness of programs that receive grants under the Tony Grampsas youth services program as deemed appropriate to the nature of each program including, but not limited to, requiring grantees to evaluate the impact of the services provided by the program. Any criteria developed pursuant to this paragraph (c) for measuring the effectiveness of student dropout prevention and intervention programs established pursuant to section 26-6.8-105 shall include the implementation of a method by which to track the students served by the program to evaluate the impact of the services provided, which tracking shall continue, if possible, for at least two years or through graduation from a secondary school, whichever occurs first.

(3) In addition to the guidelines and criteria developed pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, the board shall establish timelines for submission and review of applications for grants through the Tony Grampsas youth services program. The board shall also adopt timelines for submission to the governor of the list of entities chosen to receive grants. If the governor disapproves the list, the board may submit a replacement list within thirty days after such disapproval.

(4) The board shall review all applications received pursuant to section 26-6.8-102 for grants from the Tony Grampsas youth services program and choose those entities that shall receive grants through the Tony Grampsas youth services program and the amount of each grant.

(5) In addition to the duties relating specifically to the Tony Grampsas youth services program specified in this section, the board shall operate the prevention, intervention, and treatment programs specified in this article and such other prevention, intervention, and treatment programs as may be assigned to the board by executive order to be funded solely by federal funds.