(a)        The Sexual Assault and Rape Crisis Center Fund is established within the State Treasury. The fund shall be administered by the Department of Administration, North Carolina Council for Women, and shall be used to make grants to centers for victims of sexual assault or rape crisis and to the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Inc. This fund shall be administered in accordance with the provisions of the State Budget Act under Chapter 143C of the N.C. Gen. Stat.. The Department of Administration shall make quarterly grants to each eligible sexual assault or rape crisis center and to the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Inc. To be eligible to receive funds under this section, a sexual assault or rape crisis center shall meet the following requirements:

(1)        Have been in operation on the preceding July 1 and continue to be in operation.

(2)        Offer all of the following services: a hotline, transportation services, community education programs, daytime services, and call forwarding during the night; and fulfill other criteria established by the Department of Administration.

(3)        Be a nonprofit corporation or a local governmental entity.

(4)        Have a mission statement that clearly specifies rape crisis services are provided.

(5)        Act in support of victims of rape or sexual assault by providing assistance to ensure victims’ interests are represented in law enforcement and legal proceedings and support and referral services are provided in medical and community settings.

(b)        Funds appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Administration, North Carolina Council for Women, for the Sexual Assault and Rape Crisis Center Fund shall be distributed in two shares. The North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Inc., and sexual assault or rape crisis centers whose services are confined to rape crisis or sexual assault services shall receive an equal share of thirty-five percent (35%) of the funds. Organizations whose services contain sexual assault or rape crisis services and domestic violence services or other support services shall receive an equal share of the remaining sixty-five percent (65%) of the funds.

(c)        On or before September 1, the North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement shall report on the quarterly distributions of the grants from the Sexual Assault and Rape Crisis Center Fund to the chairs of the House Appropriations Committee on General Government, the chairs of the Senate Appropriations Committee on General Government and Information Technology, and the Fiscal Research Division. The report shall include the following:

(1)        Date, amount, and recipients of the fund disbursements.

(2)        Eligible programs which are ineligible to receive funding during the relative reporting cycle, as well as the reason of the ineligibility for that relative reporting cycle. ?(2008-107, s. 19.1; 2021-180, s. 37.1(h); 2022-6, s. 14.1.)