Byrne JAG Funds in the Stimulus

About the Bills/  Byrne JAG Job Creation/ Support

About the Stimulus Bills

Final Bill
On February 17, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This bill includes $4 billion for state and local law enforcement. Here are the highlights of the bill:

o       $2 billion for the Byrne JAG formula grant program;
o       $225 million for Byrne competitive grants (see purposes below);
o       $225 million for Violence Against Women programs, of which $175 million is for the STOP grants and $50 million is for the transitional housing assistance grants program;
o       $1 billion for the COPS Office for the hiring and rehiring of additional career law enforcement officers and civilian public safety personnel.  The bill waives the 25% local match and the $75,000 per officer cap;
o       $40 million for competitive grants to provide assistance and equipment to local law enforcement along the Southern border and in High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas to combat criminal narcotics activity stemming from the Southern border, of which $10 million shall be for ATF’s Project Gunrunner;
o       $225 million for Indian Country grants (see text below);
o       $100 million to be distributed by the Office for Victims of Crime (see text below);
o       $125 million for assistance to law enforcement in rural areas (see text below); and
o       $50 million for Internet Crimes Against Children initiatives.

Other provisions:
o       $2 million for DOJ’s Inspector General’s office (to track the use of the dollars);
o       $10 million for management and administration and oversight of programs within the Office on Violence Against Women, the Office of Justice Programs, and the COPS office.  No administrative overhead costs shall be deducted by DOJ from these programs;
o       DOJ will be required to submit a spend plan to the Hill within 60 days of enactment;
o       The conference report text on the Byrne Competitive Grants is as follows:  “for competitive, peer-reviewed grants to units of State, local, and tribal government, and to national, regional, and local non-profit organizations to prevent crime, improve the administration of justice, provide services to victims of crime, support critical nurturing and mentoring of at-risk children and youth, and for other similar activities;”
o       The report text on the rural law enforcement section reads as follows: “to combat the persistent problems of drug-related crime in rural America.  Funds will be available on a competitive basis for drug enforcement and other law enforcement activities in rural states and rural areas, including for the hiring of police officers and for community drug prevention and treatment programs;”
o       The report text on the victims’ compensation section reads as follows:  “to support State compensation and assistance programs for victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, drunk driving, homicide, and other Federal and state crimes;”
o       The report text on the tribal assistance reads as follows:  “to assist American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, to be distributed under the guidelines set forth by the Correctional Facilities on Tribal Lands program.  The Department is directed to coordinate with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and to consider the following in the grant approval process:  (1) the detention bed space needs of an applicant tribe; and (2) the violent crime statistics of the tribe;”

> Read the bill and report text
> Read NCJA's press release

House version
On January 15, House Democrats unveiled their version of the economic stimulus bill. The $825 billion bill included $3 billion over two years for the Byrne JAG program and $1 billion for the COPS hiring program. According to the language in the House bill:

The House Appropriation Committee has released a chart showing state-by-state allocations for the Byrne JAG program. View the chart.

Senate version
The Senate released its version of the stimulus bill on January 27. The Senate bill includes $3.95 billion for a variety of criminal justice programs including Byrne JAG. Here are highlights of the Senate bill:

• $1.5 billion for Byrne JAG
• $1 billion for COPS hiring program
• $300 million for VAWA, of which $50 million is for transitional housing assistance grants for victims of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault.
• $440 million for competitive grants to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, to assist victims of crime (other than compensation) and youth mentoring grants.
• $100 million for competitive grants to provide assistance and equipment to local law enforcement along the southern border and in HIDTA areas to combat criminal narcotics activity stemming from the Southern border, of which $10 million will be transferred to ATF.
• $300 million for assistance to Indian Tribes, of which $250 million for grants under section 20109 of subtitle A of title II of the 1994 crime bill, $25 million for Tribal Courts Initiative, and $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse drug reduction assistance grants.
• $100 million to be distributed by the Office for Victims of Crime in accordance with section 14029d)(4) of the Victims of Crime Act.
• $150 million for assistance to law enforcement in rural areas, to prevent and combat crime, especially drug-related crime.
• $50 million for internet crimes against children initiatives. 

View the House Bill/ View the Committee report
View the Senate Bill/ View the Committee report

Senate compromise
On February 6, Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) and a bipartisan group of Senators worked on a compromise bill that removed $100 billion from the overall stimulus. In the compromise version Byrne JAG funding was reduced to $1.2 billion. The Senate plans to vote on the stimulus bill on Feb. 10. View the language of the compromise bill/ View NCJA's press release on the Senate compromise bill.

Byrne JAG Job Creation

According to a quick survey of NCJA members an estimated 75 percent of the Byrne JAG money included in the stimulus bill will go for personnel. This money will fund all types of jobs – skilled, unskilled, private, public and non-profit sector jobs. Here are some of jobs states report will be created – without a long lead time:

Victim service providers • Juvenile and adult probation officers • Drug and Alcohol counselors • Law enforcement officers and other staff • IT personnel • Prosecutors • Forensic criminalists and forensic scientists • Judges • Public defenders • Administrative Clerks • Drug Investigators • Gang Investigators • K-9 Officers • Criminalists • Research analysts • Child abuse investigators • Court Administrators • School Resource Officers • DARE Officers • Special Victims Unit Investigators • Victim Advocates • State prisons and regional jail personnel • Domestic violence investigators and prosecutors • Support staff • Computer crime analysts • DNA lab specialists

NCJA has created a two page document highlighting why this funding should remain in the stimulus bill. View the document.

Support

NCJA and other criminal justice organizations are gratified that $2 billion for the Byrne JAG program was included in the economic stimulus bill:

The Byrne Justice Assistance Grant program (Byrne JAG) is the cornerstone federal crime-fighting program, enabling communities to target resources to their most pressing local needs.  Byrne JAG funds the people who fight the crime:  drug task force officers, police investigators, prosecutors, crime and forensic analysts, public defenders, victims’ services counselors, among others.

“I enthusiastically applaud Congress for its support of the criminal justice system in the Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” said NCJA President David Steingraber, executive director of the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance.  “With Byrne formula funds on hand, states will have the flexibility to make effective and meaningful investments in law enforcement, drug treatment and crime prevention, creating an immediate and positive impact on our economy and public safety.”

NCJA Press Releases: House bill/ Senate bill

IACP Letter to Congress/ FOP Letter to Congress/
NNOAC Press Release/NAPO Letter to Congress

NCJA has also been collecting news stories related to criminal justice funding in the stimulus bill and the link between a downward economy and rising crime rates. View the Byrne JAG media page