Section 846-M. Plan of operation and grant award process

1. In accordance
  with the legislative intent of this article, the board shall develop and
  recommend to the commissioner a plan of operation  which  shall  provide
  for  a  coordinated approach to curtailing motor vehicle theft and motor
  vehicle insurance fraud throughout the state. The plan shall provide  an
  integrated  means  to  detect,  prevent,  deter and reduce motor vehicle
  theft and motor vehicle insurance fraud by  providing  funds,  upon  the
  recommendation  of  the  board and approved by the commissioner, to meet
  these objectives. The plan of operation shall include but not be limited
  to: an assessment of the scope of the problem of motor vehicle theft and
  motor vehicle insurance fraud, including  a  regional  analysis  of  the
  incidence  of  motor vehicle theft and motor vehicle insurance fraud and
  related activities; an analysis of  various  methods  of  combating  the
  problem;  and  the  development  of  a  request  for  proposals process,
  consistent with the plan, for applications  from  provider  agencies  to
  receive grants from the fund.
    2.  (a)  The moneys received by the fund shall be expended in a manner
  that  is  consistent  with  the   plan   of   operation,   pursuant   to
  appropriation, only to reimburse costs incurred by provider agencies for
  pilot  program  activities  relating  to  the  detection,  prevention or
  reduction of motor vehicle theft and motor vehicle insurance fraud.
    (b) Activities eligible for funding include, but are not  limited  to,
  the  following:  prosecution  and adjudication services; law enforcement
  services; neighborhood or community based programs  designed  to  reduce
  the  incidence of motor vehicle theft and motor vehicle insurance fraud;
  educational  programs  designed  to  inform  owners  of  motor  vehicles
  concerning  activities  designed  to  prevent  the incidence of theft of
  motor vehicles and fraudulent claims practices; and programs designed to
  examine, evaluate and make recommendations relating to the  efficacy  of
  motor  vehicle  theft  prevention  devices or methods including, but not
  limited to, passive tracking devices designed to identify  the  location
  of  a  motor vehicle at any given point in time and window glass etching
  with vehicle identification numbers  or  any  other  unique  identifying
  symbol including decal programs such as New York city's operation combat
  auto  theft (C.A.T.). Funds provided under this program shall be used to
  augment, and not to supplant, the provider agency's current funding,  if
  any,  for motor vehicle theft and insurance fraud detection, prevention,
  or reduction activities.
    (c) In allocating the moneys for the program, the  commissioner,  upon
  recommendation  of  the  board,  shall, to the greatest extent possible,
  take into account the geographic incidence of motor  vehicle  theft  and
  insurance fraud, whereby localities with the greatest incidence of motor
  vehicle  theft and insurance fraud shall be targeted for the purposes of
  this program.
    (d) The state  comptroller  shall  conduct  an  audit  of  all  moneys
  received  and  expended  by the fund as well as all other funds expended
  from any other source for the purposes of this program, and shall submit
  a written report detailing such audit to the governor and legislature on
  or before March first of each year.