HB1382 Summary: Public Empowerment and Community Act (PEACE Act)

• Department of Human Services shall establish and administer the PEACE Grant Pilot Program to fund community-based alternatives to law enforcement for crisis response, subject to appropriation.

• Each grant recipient (municipalities or counties, excluding law enforcement agencies) receives a minimum annual award of $250,000, with at least 90% distributed to qualifying community-based organizations for mobile crisis teams or community paramedicine programs.

• Department prioritizes grantees serving historically marginalized populations and communities with high rates of police use of force, civilian complaints, imprisonment, or racial profiling.

• Creates a stakeholder workgroup including emergency medical practitioners, public health professionals, crisis survivors, police brutality survivors, and family members of those killed by law enforcement—explicitly excluding current or former law enforcement officers.

• Act expires December 31, 2028; all grants must be awarded by January 1, 2024; Department limited to 5% administrative costs and 5% for implementation agreements with external entities.