Purpose

To provide funding for a Community Engagement Response Team in the Rochester area. The bill appropriates money from the general fund to the commissioner of education to grant to a nonprofit organization that will fund the team. The goal is to improve public safety by fostering collaboration between the Black community and law enforcement and by advocating for the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community.

Main Provisions

• Amount and source: $250,000 for fiscal year 2026 from the general fund to the commissioner of education.
• Use: The funds go as a grant to a nonprofit organization to establish and operate a Community Engagement Response Team in the Rochester area.
• Composition: The team must be made up of community leaders and volunteers.
• Roles and activities:
  • Act as a liaison between the Black community and law enforcement.
  • curate opportunities, mediate problems, and provide advocacy for the BIPOC community.

Scope and Focus

• Geographic focus: Rochester area.
• Communities served: Black community and, more broadly, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.

Significance and Changes to Existing Law

• Creates or funds a new program within state education funding to support community-based public safety work.
• Establishes a grant-based model for a nonprofit to run a Community Engagement Response Team.
• Formalizes a structure in which community leaders and volunteers work to improve relations with law enforcement and advocate for BIPOC communities.

Implementation Notes

• The text specifies funding and structure but does not detail ongoing oversight, reporting requirements, or performance metrics.

Relevant Terms - general fund - commissioner of education - grant - nonprofit organization - Community Engagement Response Team - Rochester area - community leaders - volunteers - public safety - liaison - Black community - law enforcement - curating opportunity - mediating problems - advocacy - Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) - fiscal year 2026