Cuts to the Byrne/Justice Assistance Grant Program

About the Cuts / Restoration Effort/ NCJA's Opposition

About the Cuts

On December 16 Congress unveiled the proposed FY08 omnibus appropriations bill which included funding for Commerce, Justice Science and Related Agencies (CJS). This bill would cut the Byrne/Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) program from $520 million in FY07 to $170.4 million in FY08. This is a 67 percent cut and is nearly 75 percent from what both the House and Senate included in their CJS appropriations bill just a few months ago.

The House passed the bill on December 17 by a vote of 253-154. The Senate passed it the next day by a vote of 76-17. The President signed the spending package on December 21. Recent efforts to include the restoration of this funding in the emergency war supplemental failed [View NCJA's press release] but efforts to include this funding in other supplemental bills continue.

View the text of the CJS portion / View the accompanying report

Efforts to Restore Funding

Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Kit Bond (R-MO), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Joseph Biden (D-DE) have led the effort in the Senate to restore Byrne/JAG funding. Members of the Drug Policy Caucus, the Law Enforcement Caucus and the Meth Caucus are leading the effort in the House.

In September, stakeholder groups in the Byrne JAG coalition sent another letter to Capitol Hill urging one more time that the FY08 Byrne JAG funding be restored this year and that funding be increased in FY09, and included as part of this month's Continuing Resolution bill. The letter states, "Over the next month, Congress will pass an FY 2009 Continuing Resolution funding government for the first few months of fiscal year 2009. In addition, or as part of that bill, Congress may also pass a second FY08 emergency supplemental or economic stimulus bill. Both of these vehicles provide the opportunity for restoring funding to the Byrne JAG program which was so severely cut last year." View the Senate Letter/ House Letter

In August, leaders of the Law Enforcement, Drug Policy and Meth Caucuses in the House circulated another sign-on letter to help build support for including Byrne/JAG restoration in any supplemental bill that might move through the House this fall.
• That letter attracted bipartisian support of 189 members.
• View a list of members who co-sponsored HR5180 or signed onto either letter. 

Press Releases: Harkin/ Bond/ Feinstein/ Chambliss/ Biden

Two "Dear Colleague Letters" circulated in the House and Senate. These letters urged members to support the effort to restore Byrne/JAG funding. Ultimately, 56 Senators and 218 members of the House signed these letters.  In addition, another letter is currently circulating in the House asking for co-sponsors for H.R. 5180. This bill would provide an additional $490 million for Byrne/JAG in FY08.

56 Senators signed the final Senate Dear Colleague Letter- View the signed letter
218 Congressmen signed the final House Dear Colleague Letter-View the final House sign on letter
(The Dear Colleague Letters in the House and Senate are now closed however House members may still co-sponsor H.R. 5180)
View the letter to co-sponsor H.R. 5180
See if your Congressmen have signed on (as of 4/16)

All 56 state and territorial Attorneys General signed a letter to Congressional leadership expressing their concern over the cuts to the Byrne/JAG program and asking that the funds be restored in the emergency supplemental. View the letter 

35 Governors signed a letter of support asking congressional leadership to restore funding for Byrne/JAG in the emergency supplement. In addition, The National Governors Association sent a letter to the leadership of the House of Representatives urging the restoration of funding for Byrne/JAG in 2008. View the letter

On Feb. 28, Republican Senators Mitch McConnell, Kit Bond and Jim Bunning sent a letter to President Bush urging his assistance in restoring funding for the Byrne/JAG program. View the letter

On April 9, Senator Barbara Mikulski, chair of the  Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee sent a letter to Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd and Ranking member Thad Cochran strongly supporting the inclusion on Byrne/JAG funding in the emergency supplemental bill.  View the letter

A total of 30 coalition members expressed support for Byrne/JAG in a letter that was sent to the appropriations committees on April 17, 2008. View the letter

On May 1, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the International City/County Management Association sent a joint letter to the leadership of the appropriations commitees urging them to include Byrne/JAG in the emergency supplemental bill. View the letter

The International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Fraternal Order of Police urged Congressional leaders to include restoration of Byrne/JAG funding in the emergency supplemental bill.

On May 9, NCJA and other coalition members distributed a new press release urging that Byrne/JAG funds be included in the emergency supplemental. View the press release

On June 3, leaders of the House Law Enforcement, Drug Policy and Meth caucuses sent a letter to House leadership urging the inclusion of Byrne/JAG funds in the emergency supplemental. View the letter

NCJA's Opposition to the Cuts

NCJA strongly objects to this 67 percent cut. This funding is crucial to state and local jurisdictions which depend on these funds to prevent crime.  Byrne/JAG funds support multi-jurisdictional drug and gang task forces, substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, crime victims support programs, community corrections, rehabilitation, offender reentry and juvenile justice programs. 

“Let there be no room for doubt, communities everywhere will see the effects of this bill and its cuts to criminal justice funding,” said David Steingraber, NCJA president and executive director of the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance.  “A cut to the JAG program is a cut to local law enforcement and victims of crime everywhere.  Congress has just made the job of every police officer in this country more difficult.”

At least 75 percent of every JAG dollar goes directly to local sheriffs’ and police departments.  The JAG program is a highly successful program that enjoys broad support within the criminal justice community.  State, local and tribal jurisdictions depend on this program to provide critical funds used to fight violence and drugs and to support crime victims.

NCJA is working aggressively behind the scenes to build a coalition of voices demanding that Congress restore and increase JAG funding.

View NCJA's Press Release / View the Letter to Congress

However, above all else, members of Congress need to hear from the field! Because members of Congress voted on the bill without realizing JAG was cut, it has been up to SAAs and other stakeholders to explain the impact it will have in their districts. Ask your sheriffs, chiefs, legislators, prosecutors and non-profit service providers to blanket the delegation with calls, visits and letters. To assist in your efforts NCJA has developed an advocacy checklist.

To illustrate the importance of this grant program earlier this year, NCJA developed a series of issue papers describing how states have led the nation in developing solutions to national criminal justice problems, like methamphetmine use/abuse; combating gangs; offender reentry; and sex offender management using these Byrne-JAG funds. In addition, these funds have been crucial to the development and implementation of multi-jurisdictional task forces and criminal justice information sharing projects. NCJA members distributed these one-pagers to Congressional staffers on our annual Hill Day. We encourage you to use this information in your own advocacy and educational efforts as well. View the One Pagers

Also, NCJA was part of a group that wrote a White Paper examing the role of the federal government in law enforcement and the administration of justice. View the White Paper