Ask A Grant Manager
Q. The 2019 Adam Walsh Act Program solicitation includes a purpose area for counties in states that have substantially implemented the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. What are some examples of activities allowed for this purpose area?
A. New in the SMART FY 2019 Support for Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program solicitation is a purpose area/funding opportunity specifically for counties in states the SMART Office has determined to have substantially implemented SORNA.
Under this AWA purpose area, SMART expects counties to propose to fund staffing resources (sex offender registry staff, overtime for absconder investigation and compliance checks), equipment, supplies, travel for training or tactical operations, community notification efforts and prevention programs.
The following types of activities are allowable under AWA/SORNA funding for this purpose area (not an inclusive list):
- Staffing resources to monitor and validate data provided by registered sex offenders, support record digitization and records management projects and manage grant requirements such as administration and financial reporting.
- Resources for tactical operations such as investigation and apprehension of absconders, address verification and compliance checks.
- Equipment such as finger/palm print scanners, kiosks, IT equipment (computers, tablets, scanners, printers) for county booking agencies.
- Supplies such as cellphones or tablets to support mobile access and updates to sex offender registries and materials to develop and print address verification forms.
- Safety gear for sex offender registry officials.
- Travel expenses related to tactical operations.
- Travel expenses related to training for SMART Office-sponsored events, statewide and multijurisdictional SORNA trainings and Department of Justice financial grants management training. Note: Applicants are required to include in the budget transportation and lodging for at least one person (maximum of three) to attend a SMART-sponsored conference.
- Community education and outreach efforts (i.e., public service announcements, advertisement wrappers, newspaper inserts) to publicize sex offender absconders with an active bench warrant for their arrest.
- Prevention programs related to sex offender registration, notification or management.
- Activities that foster communication and assistance to neighboring jurisdictions, including Indian tribes who require and request sex offender registration assistance.
- Efforts to develop or enhance information sharing between the county???s sex offender registry and other county entities (such as jail facilities, motor vehicle departments) to improve the accuracy of information about registered sex offenders.
- Efforts to develop and implement registration location and officer safety protocols.
County applicants must include a letter of support from the state registering agency in the application package. This letter should confirm that the county???s proposed grant activities do not duplicate or conflict with state-level AWA-funded activities. Applications that do not include a letter of support at the time of submission will not meet basic minimum requirements and will not be considered for funding.
For a complete list of application requirements, review the solicitation, the pre-application webinar and FAQs posted at the SMART Funding Opportunities page.