                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA SEXUAL AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION FUND; REPORT (§ 63.2-2300)

A. The General Assembly finds and declares that sexual and domestic violence is
a serious public health and safety concern in the Commonwealth, and that
evidence-based and evidence-informed prevention programs are critical to
decrease the negative effects that sexual and domestic violence have on
communities in the Commonwealth. It is therefore in the best interest of the
citizens of the Commonwealth to support such programs for the purpose of
lowering the occurrence of sexual and domestic violence in the Commonwealth.

B. There is hereby created in the state treasury a special nonreverting fund to
be known as the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Prevention Fund (the
Fund). The Fund shall be established on the books of the Comptroller. All moneys
appropriated by the General Assembly for the Fund, and received from any other
sources, public or private, shall be paid into the state treasury and credited
to the Fund. Interest earned on moneys in the Fund shall remain in the Fund and
be credited to it. Any moneys remaining in the Fund, including interest thereon,
at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund but shall
remain in the Fund. Expenditures and disbursements from the Fund shall be made
by the State Treasurer on warrants issued by the Comptroller upon written
request signed by the Commissioner. Up to five percent of the Fund may be used
to pay the expenses necessary for administration of the Fund by the Department.

C. The Fund shall be administered by the Department in accordance with the
provisions of this section and subject to the following:

   1. The Department shall use moneys in the Fund to develop and support
   prevention programs in the Commonwealth and perform such other acts as may be
   necessary to comply with the provisions of this section.

   2. No less than five percent of the Fund shall be granted to an organization
   that provides training and technical assistance to entities implementing
   prevention programs and for the development of statewide strategies to
   reinforce and expand prevention efforts.

   3. No less than 40 percent but not more than 45 percent of the Fund shall be
   granted to the Department of Health&#8217;s Domestic and Intimate Partner
   Violence Prevention program for the distribution of grants to support and
   evaluate evidence-based and evidence-informed sexual violence prevention
   programs. Up to five percent of such funds may be used to pay the expenses
   necessary to distribution of such grants by the Department of Health.

   4. The Department shall, in coordination with the Department of Health and the
   Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, develop a plan for
   distribution of moneys in the Fund. Such plan shall identify evidence-based
   and evidence-informed prevention programs and develop strategies to promote
   research and evaluation of prevention initiatives. Such plan shall include a
   process for determining appropriate grant amounts and other strategies that
   help to prevent or support programs that prevent sexual and domestic violence
   in the Commonwealth.

   5. The Department shall distribute grants to support and evaluate
   evidence-based and evidence-informed domestic violence prevention programs.

   6. The Department shall produce an annual report on the expenditures and
   activities associated with the Fund and provide such report to the Governor
   and the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations and the
   House Committee on Appropriations by November 30 each year.

   7. No more than 95 percent of moneys in the Fund shall be awarded or allocated
   in any fiscal year.

D. For the purposes of this section, &#8220;prevention program&#8221; means an
evidence-based or evidence-informed program that (i) is operated by a local
public or private nonprofit agency and (ii) has the primary purpose of
preventing sexual and domestic violence through strategies that (a) promote the
development and maintenance of healthy practices related to relationships,
sexuality, and social-emotional development and (b) counteract the factors
associated with the initial perpetration of sexual and domestic violence.

HISTORY: 2020, cc. 912, 913.