(a)  The department shall award and administer grants for projects directed at the prevention of tobacco-related diseases. The purpose of the grant program is to conduct health education and promotion activities targeted to high-risk persons and groups in order to reduce the number of persons beginning to use tobacco, continuing to use tobacco, or developing tobacco-related diseases. The grants shall provide funds to eligible grantees, as determined by the department. In awarding grants, the department shall select a variety of projects and grantees.

(b)  The department shall develop criteria and standards for the allocation of grant awards which consider the need to balance target populations to be served, project types of rural suburban and urban projects, and consider the current regional availability of similar services. Target populations may include, but not be limited to, children, young adults, pregnant women, low-income individuals, Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian-Pacific Islander populations, current smokers, and schoolaged youth no longer attending school classes. The grant awards may also be made to school districts for nonclassroom, districtwide efforts to reduce tobacco use. The department shall develop mechanisms to evaluate all programs and shall require any program funded under this article to provide statistics on the impact of the program.

(c)  The department shall give priority to grantees who do the following:

(1)  Demonstrate community support for the project.

(2)  Design the project to coordinate with other community services including local health programs, school-based programs, or voluntary health organizations.

(3)  Design the project to utilize and enhance existing services and resources.

(4)  Serve a target population at high risk of starting tobacco use or developing tobacco-related illnesses.

(5)  Demonstrate an understanding of the role community norms have in influencing behavioral change regarding tobacco use.

(6)  Indicate promising innovative approaches to diminishing tobacco use among target groups and permit those approaches to be replicated by others.

(d)  Of the funds appropriated to the department in Item 4260-111-231 of the 1996 Budget Act, five million dollars ($5,000,000) shall be available specifically for grants awarded on a competitive basis to provide smoking cessation classes or services for persons eligible for and enrolled in the state‘s Medi-Cal program, or persons who are medically indigent.

(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 199, Sec. 3. Effective July 22, 1996.)