Modernization requirements for local State’s Attorneys Offices could come with allocated funding and grant opportunities.
According to Maryland Matters, legislation to ensure case management systems are modernized in all 23 counties and the city of Baltimore could be on the horizon for the 2024 legislative session. According to recent statements from House Majority Leader David Moon, legislators could be moving forward with some of the recommendations coming out of the Task Force to Study Transparency Standards for State’s Attorneys. Moon served as co-chair of the work group along with Senator Charles Sydnor.
Previous Conduit Street coverage highlighted some of the major discussion topics and focus points for the group. The legislative work group was originally created to assess whether prosecutors’ policies and practices are fair and equitable. Moon made clear earlier this month that this process must rely on buy-in from the State’s Attorneys offices.
From the Maryland Matters article:
“We are very supportive of transparency,” said Prince George’s State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy (D). “One of the considerations that the legislature has to make is whether or not send down an unfunded mandate to state’s attorney’s offices, or if the legislature will be proactive in ensuring that we have the resources needed in order to provide the type of information being requested in a timely manner.”
In Prince George’s the current FY24 budget for the Office of the State’s Attorney is just over $27M and provided by the county budget. In keeping with expert recommendations from the task force, Moon confirmed lawmakers will try to allocate money for start-up costs as well as seek state and federal grants to upgrade current software.
From the article:
“But we’re going to have to see what’s possible in terms of seeding that with money in a tight budget environment,” he said. “We’re going to have to be a little bit creative to try to get some financial support out there to [not] make this an unfunded mandate.”
