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[House Report 112-636]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

112th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     112-636

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EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION 
                              ACT OF 2012

                                _______
                                

 July 31, 2012.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Smith of Texas, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 6062]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the 
bill (H.R. 6062) to reauthorize the Edward Byrne Memorial 
Justice Assistance Grant Program through fiscal year 2017, 
having considered the same, report favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page

Purpose and Summary..............................................     1
Background and Need for the Legislation..........................     2
Hearings.........................................................     3
Committee Consideration..........................................     3
Committee Votes..................................................     3
Committee Oversight Findings.....................................     5
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................     5
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................     5
Performance Goals and Objectives.................................     7
Advisory on Earmarks.............................................     7
Section-by-Section Analysis......................................     7
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............     7

                          Purpose and Summary

    H.R. 6062 reauthorizes the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice 
Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) program at $800 million per year 
for fiscal years 2013 through 2017.

                Background and Need for the Legislation

    The Byrne JAG program was created by the Violence Against 
Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 
(P.L. 109-162), which combined two existing programs--the 
Edward Byrne Memorial Formula Grant and the Local Law 
Enforcement Block Grant--into a single criminal justice grant 
program to the states and local governments. Byrne JAG has 
seven broad program purposes: law enforcement programs; 
prosecution and court programs; prevention and education 
programs; corrections and community corrections programs; drug 
treatment and enforcement programs; planning, evaluation, and 
technology improvement programs; and crime victim and witness 
programs (other than compensation).\1\ These program areas are 
broadly written with the intent of providing the states and 
localities with a large amount of flexibility to determine how 
the grant money is spent.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\42 U.S.C. Sec. 3751(a).
    \2\Byrne JAG funds can be spent in many different ways to address 
evolving criminal justice issues and technologies. For example, these 
funds can be spent to investigate and prosecute cold cases based on the 
recent advancements in DNA technology.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The Byrne JAG program is administered by the Justice 
Department's Office of Justice Programs, and provides Federal 
grant funds to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto 
Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, America Samoa, and the Northern 
Mariana Islands. Byrne JAG provides funding to states through a 
formula based on each state's population and crime rate.\3\ 
Each state is statutorily authorized to receive a minimum 
amount of funding, set at 0.25 percent of the total annual 
funding.\4\ Forty percent of a state's allocation is directly 
awarded to units of local government.\5\ These funds are 
distributed based on the localities' relative portion of their 
state's violent crime, as reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime 
Report.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \3\The District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and 
Guam are all treated as states under Byrne JAG. Current law, however, 
mandates that the Northern Marianas Islands and American Samoa be 
treated collectively as one state for purposes of the formula, with the 
Northern Marianas Islands receiving 33 percent and American Samoa 
receiving 67 percent of this amount.
    \4\42 U.S.C. Sec. 3755(a)(1-2).
    \5\42 U.S.C. Sec. 3755(b).
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    The remaining funds that not awarded directly to units of 
local government are administered by the state, and must be 
distributed to state police departments that provide criminal 
justice services to units of local government. Each state is 
also required to ``pass through'' an additional percentage of 
the funds directly awarded to the state. The pass-through 
percentage, often referred to as the ``variable pass through,'' 
is calculated as the ratio of the total amount of expenditures 
on criminal justice by the state itself for the most recent 
fiscal year as compared to the total amount of expenditures on 
criminal justice by both the state and all units of local 
government.\6\
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    \6\42 U.S.C. Sec. 3755(c).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Byrne JAG is authorized through the end of fiscal year 2012 
at $1.095 billion a year. The program was appropriated at 
approximately $430 million for fiscal year 2011 and 
approximately $470 million for fiscal year 2012, although $100 
million of the 2012 funds were a one-time set aside for 
expenses related to the presidential nomination conventions.

                                Hearings

    The Committee on the Judiciary held no hearings on H.R. 
6062. An oversight hearing was held on the Department of 
Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which administers the 
Byrne JAG program.

                        Committee Consideration

    On July 18, 2012, the Committee met in open session and 
ordered the bill H.R. 6062 favorably reported without 
amendment, by voice vote, a quorum being present.

                            Committee Votes

    In compliance with clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that the 
following rollcall votes occurred during the Committee's 
consideration of H.R. 6062.
    1. An amendment offered by Mr. Nadler to incentive 
jurisdictions that receive money under the Byrne JAG program to 
use Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner nurses, test rape kits within 
180 days of a request, and create an online database of rape 
kit evidence. Defeated 6-10.

                             ROLLCALL NO. 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Ayes     Nays   Present
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Smith, Chairman..........................                X
Mr. Sensenbrenner, Jr........................
Mr. Coble....................................                X
Mr. Gallegly.................................
Mr. Goodlatte................................
Mr. Lungren..................................
Mr. Chabot...................................
Mr. Issa.....................................
Mr. Pence....................................                X
Mr. Forbes...................................
Mr. King.....................................
Mr. Franks...................................                X
Mr. Gohmert..................................
Mr. Jordan...................................                X
Mr. Poe......................................                X
Mr. Chaffetz.................................
Mr. Griffin..................................                X
Mr. Marino...................................                X
Mr. Gowdy....................................                X
Mr. Ross.....................................
Ms. Adams....................................                X
Mr. Quayle...................................
Mr. Amodei...................................
Mr. Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member.............
Mr. Berman...................................
Mr. Nadler...................................       X
Mr. Scott....................................       X
Mr. Watt.....................................       X
Ms. Lofgren..................................
Ms. Jackson Lee..............................
Ms. Waters...................................
Mr. Cohen....................................
Mr. Johnson, Jr..............................       X
Mr. Pierluisi................................       X
Mr. Quigley..................................
Ms. Chu......................................       X
Mr. Deutch...................................
Ms. Sanchez..................................
Mr. Polis....................................
                                              --------------------------
    Total....................................       6       10
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. An amendment offered by Mr. Johnson to increase the 
authorization level to $1.095 billion per year. Defeated 7-13.

                             ROLLCALL NO. 2
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Ayes     Nays   Present
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Smith, Chairman..........................                X
Mr. Sensenbrenner, Jr........................
Mr. Coble....................................                X
Mr. Gallegly.................................
Mr. Goodlatte................................
Mr. Lungren..................................                X
Mr. Chabot...................................
Mr. Issa.....................................
Mr. Pence....................................                X
Mr. Forbes...................................
Mr. King.....................................                X
Mr. Franks...................................                X
Mr. Gohmert..................................
Mr. Jordan...................................                X
Mr. Poe......................................                X
Mr. Chaffetz.................................
Mr. Griffin..................................                X
Mr. Marino...................................                X
Mr. Gowdy....................................                X
Mr. Ross.....................................                X
Ms. Adams....................................                X
Mr. Quayle...................................
Mr. Amodei...................................
Mr. Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member.............
Mr. Berman...................................
Mr. Nadler...................................       X
Mr. Scott....................................       X
Mr. Watt.....................................       X
Ms. Lofgren..................................
Ms. Jackson Lee..............................
Ms. Waters...................................
Mr. Cohen....................................
Mr. Johnson, Jr..............................       X
Mr. Pierluisi................................       X
Mr. Quigley..................................
Ms. Chu......................................       X
Mr. Deutch...................................
Ms. Sanchez..................................       X
Mr. Polis....................................
                                              --------------------------
    Total....................................       7       13
------------------------------------------------------------------------

                      Committee Oversight Findings

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that the 
findings and recommendations of the Committee, based on 
oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the 
descriptive portions of this report.

               New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures

    Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is inapplicable because this legislation does 
not provide new budgetary authority or increased tax 
expenditures.

               Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee sets forth, with 
respect to the bill, H.R. 6062, the following estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, July 25, 2012.
Hon. Lamar Smith, Chairman,
Committee on the Judiciary,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 6062, the ``Edward 
Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program Reauthorization 
Act of 2012.''
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark 
Grabowicz, who can be reached at 226-2860.
            Sincerely,
                                      Douglas W. Elmendorf,
                                                  Director.

Enclosure

cc:
        Honorable John Conyers, Jr.
        Ranking Member

   H.R. 6062--Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program 
                      Reauthorization Act of 2012.

      As ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary 
                           on July 18, 2012.

                                SUMMARY

    H.R. 6062 would authorize the appropriation of $800 million 
annually over the 2013-2017 period for the Edward Byrne 
Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program in the Department of 
Justice. (In 2012, the Congress appropriated $470 million for 
such grants, which support criminal justice systems at the 
State, local, and tribal level.)
    Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO 
estimates that implementing H.R. 6062 would cost about $2.7 
billion over the 2013-2017 period and $1.3 billion in 
subsequent years. Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to this 
legislation because it would not affect direct spending or 
revenues.
    H.R. 6062 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA).

                ESTIMATED COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

    The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 6062 is shown in the 
following table. CBO assumes that the authorized amounts will 
be appropriated near the start of each fiscal year and that 
outlays will follow the historical rate of spending for these 
activities. The costs of this legislation fall within budget 
function 750 (administration of justice).

                                     By Fiscal Year, in Millions of Dollars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                     2013   2014   2015   2016   2017  2013-2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Authorization Level                                                   800    800    800    800    800     4,000

Estimated Outlays                                                     176    416    576    696    800     2,664
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     PAY-AS-YOU-GO CONSIDERATIONS:

    None.

              INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR IMPACT

    H.R. 6062 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in UMRA. Assuming appropriation of the 
authorized amounts, State, local, and tribal governments would 
receive $4 billion for law enforcement programs. Any costs to 
those governments would be incurred voluntarily as a condition 
of receiving Federal assistance.

                         ESTIMATE PREPARED BY:

    Federal Costs: Mark Grabowicz
Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Melissa Merrell
    Impact on the Private Sector: Paige Piper/Bach

                         ESTIMATE APPROVED BY:

    Theresa Gullo
    Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis

                    Performance Goals and Objectives

    The Committee states that pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, H.R. 
6062 reauthorizes the Byrne JAG program at $800 million a year 
for 5 years.

                          Advisory on Earmarks

    In accordance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, H.R. 6062 does not contain any 
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of Rule XXI.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis

    The following discussion describes the bill as reported by 
the Committee.
    Sec. 1. Short title. This section cites the short title of 
the bill as the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant 
Program Reauthorization Act of 2012.
    Section 2. Reauthorization of Byrne JAG Grants. This 
section reauthorizes the Byrne JAG program at $800 million a 
year for fiscal years 2013-2017.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (new matter is 
printed in italics and existing law in which no change is 
proposed is shown in roman):

OMNIBUS CRIME CONTROL AND SAFE STREETS ACT OF 1968

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

TITLE I--JUSTICE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

          Part E--Bureau of Justice Assistance Grant Programs

Subpart 1--Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

SEC. 508. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
subpart $1,095,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 
through 2012, and $800,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2013 through 2017.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

                                  
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