Sam Houston State University (CMIT), on behalf of all Texas Specialty Courts, will receive grant funding from the Criminal Justice Division (CJD), Office of the Governor for training stipends to attend specialized court training. The training opportunities covered by these stipends are for the Texas Association of Specialty Courts (TASC) Annual Training Conference in Corpus Christi, Texas, April 11-13, 2022. Opportunities for members of your court team to attend this top-notch training are available as described below.

Number and Amount of Training Stipends

There will be approximately 275 stipends, not to exceed $1,000, to attend the TASC Conference in Corpus Christi, Texas, April 11-13, 2022.

Please Note
Those that have paid their registration fee prior to the stipend award WILL NOT be reimbursed. Any expenses incurred over the amount of the stipend award are the responsibility of the individual or their unit of government. Please be advised that the registration fee will automatically be deducted from the $1,000 at registration; therefore, the reimbursement amount will be less the amount of registration. You are responsible for making your own hotel reservations.

Changes have been made to the way hotel expenses are handled for stipend recipients. Hotel expenses will need to be covered by the recipient or their unit of government up front and then can be reimbursed by the grant after the conference. State per diem rates for lodging expenses will be followed during the reimbursement process. Please check these rates before booking your rooms. If your reservation is made within the TASC room block, you will be charged the state rate. This rate is not guaranteed if you book outside of the negotiated block.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for these training stipends, the following criteria must be met:

  1. The specialty court must meet the essential characteristics of your respected court type as listed in the Texas Government Code, Chapter 123)
  2. The court must have registered with the Office of Court Administration pursuant to Texas Government Code, Chapter 121, by the date of this notice.
  3. Individuals selected to receive stipends must commit to attending the training sessions offered and to holding a meeting with members of the court team upon their return to discuss the material covered at the training.
  4. Individuals selected to receive stipends must attend the Texas Association of Specialty Courts membership meeting during the TASC Conference.
  5. Individuals selected to receive stipends must attend the maximum amount of course hours offered at the TASC Conference and be able to verify attendance (conference certificate).
  6. The individual units of government or the individuals selected must commit to covering any additional costs not covered by the training stipends.
  7. Priority funding will be given for at least one member from each eligible court tthat applies to receive a stipend to attend the TASC Conference, upon approval from the Office of the Governor, CJD. You may submit the names of all the court team members you would like to be considered for a stipend.
  8. Additional stipends to each operational court (or to courts in the planning phases) will be subject to the availability of funds and approval of the Office of the Governor, CJD.
  9. Recipients of training stipends must comply with specific policies by the Office of the Governor, CJD and SHSU in regards to travel; and any other applicable policies adhering to the respective per diem rates. Reimbursement for meals will be at actual costs UP TO the state per diem rate for the location of the training conference. Itemized meal receipts ARE REQUIRED for reimbursement by Sam Houston State University. Reimbursements will no longer be made for meals without an itemized receipt. If a tip is added, both the itemized receipt and final signed credit card receipt detailing the tip amount will be required.
  10. Grantees funded by CJD for the grant period beginning September 1, 2021 must use in state grant funds to cover attendance at the conference. Stipends will be considered for individuals in excess of the number that can be funded from the in state grant funds received from CJD.

Application Deadline

The unit of government or individuals must submit their consolidated application (i.e. one application per court) for stipends no later than October 15, 2021 to Amber Gregory. Stipend applications will be submitted electronically this year. The presiding Judge of the court must approve the stipend application. Please email Amber Gregory at agregory@shsu.edu for confirmation of receipt of your application.

Selection Process

All submitted applications are reviewed for eligibility, reasonableness, and availability of funding. For applications submitted pursuant to this notice, a review group will be established to prioritize the applications. A review group may include staff members, experts in a relevant field, and members of an advisory board or council.

Funding Decisions

All stipend funding decisions rest completely within the discretionary authority of the Sam Houston State University, under the direction of the Office of the Governor, CJD. The receipt of an application for funding by TASC does not obligate Sam Houston State University to provide funding at the amount requested.

Reimbursement Process

The unit of government or individuals receiving stipends will be required to pay for expenses for the conference (including airfare, lodging, hotel incidentals, parking, per diem, mileage, etc.) and request reimbursement from Sam Houston State University. Reimbursement requests must be submitted no later than thirty days after the conclusion of the conference. Therefore, the unit of government or individuals should submit their request for reimbursement for the TASC conference no later than May 13, 2022. Reimbursement requests will be submitted on forms as directed by Sam Houston State University (forms will be provided). After review by Sam Houston State University, reimbursements will be issued within 45 days of receipt.


Responsibilities of the Point of Contact

As the point of contact and person completing the stipend application, you will be responsible for managing any stipends awarded to your court. This responsibility includes:

  • Ensuring stipend recipients are notified of any information sent out by Amber Gregory
  • Ensuring stipend fund use is maximized and used to its fullest. There are many ways this can be completed. Each stipend amount is $1,000 and can be used for multiple team members, not just one. Registration is $300, so the stipend may be used to cover the registration of three team members. Not maximizing the use of stipend funds could result in reduction of stipend awards made to the court in the future.

Electronic submission of this application indicates that you, the point of contact, have read and agreed to the responsibilities above.

Nomination

The court listed above hereby nominates the following individuals for training stipends to attend the TASC, Texas Association of Specialty Courts Annual Training Conference in Corpus Christi, Texas, April 11-13, 2022.

Please list the individuals in order of your preference for stipends. There is no limit to the number of individuals you can list; therefore, please list your entire court team members whom you would like considered for funding. Please budget your team’s travel accordingly, as there is no guarantee that all positions will be funded.

Financial Need

If there are additional stipends available, funding decisions will be made on a number of factors, but specifically on the financial need of the court in question. Please list below the reasons why you feel that your court is in financial need of the stipends. Using specific facts and figures will assist in this process. Grantees funded by CJD for the grant period beginning September 1, 2021 must use in-state training grant funds to cover attendance at the conference. Stipends will be considered for individuals in excess of the number that can be funded from the in-state training grant funds. Please be advised your court/agency will be responsible for any expenses incurred over the stipend award.

Court Certification

I, , Judge of , hereby certify that the information in this application is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I hereby nominate the above-listed individuals for training stipends being offered by Sam Houston State University, CMIT on behalf of TASC through a grant made possible by the Criminal Justice Division, Office of the Governor. I further certify that our court will follow all directions listed in the Request for Applications and any supplemental information that may be issued by the CMIT. Electronic submission of this application indicates that the judge of the court has approved its submission.

Any expenses incurred over the amount of the stipend award are the responsibility of the individual or their unit of government.