Committee adopts substitute and advances youth‑police initiative tax credit
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Summary
The House Committee on Crime and Public Safety voted to adopt a committee substitute combining companion bills and voted the combined measure 'due pass' 16–0. Sponsors and law‑enforcement supporters said a tax credit for the Youth and Police Initiative (YPI) would foster trust through a week‑long mentorship program serving about 25–30 youths per session.
The House Committee on Crime and Public Safety adopted a committee substitute combining companion bills and voted the combined measure for a due‑pass recommendation, advancing a tax credit designed to support the Youth and Police Initiative.
Representative Tiffany Price (District 26), sponsor of House Bill 30‑97, told the committee the program is intended "to foster safer communities and build bridges" between at‑risk young people and law enforcement. Price said she brought her son to testify to show the program's personal impact and that the bill is identical to a companion measure heard previously.
Supporters described YPI as a short, intensive program that connects children with officers outside a criminal context. Kari Thompson, a division commander with the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department who facilitated the program in 2025, said the week‑long sessions typically enroll about 25 to 30 youths with "about six officers" participating and emphasized relationship building. "You're gonna get a great bang for your buck with this program," Thompson said, describing mentorship, camaraderie and prevention as core benefits.
Witnesses and members asked procedural and implementation questions: whether nonprofit partners could run the program (Thompson and others said nonprofits may partner with police departments, including NAFI and the Boys & Girls Club), how the program would be funded if income tax receipts fell, and who would be listed as eligible entities on a Department of Public Safety registry. Price acknowledged some funding details would need follow‑up with budget staff.
The committee moved and adopted a House Committee Substitute that combined Representative Price's bill with a companion bill (House Bill 18‑82). After adopting the substitute, the committee voted the combined measure 'due pass.' The clerk recorded the roll call with the committee vote reading 16 ayes, 0 no.
The committee's action sends the combined measure to the next stage of the legislative process; no changes to substantive program elements were recorded in committee action notes.