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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1741 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1741

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 10, 2009

  Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 
To require the Attorney General to make competitive grants to eligible 
State, tribal, and local governments to establish and maintain certain 
              protection and witness assistance programs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Witness Security and Protection 
Grant Program Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WITNESS PROTECTION GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Attorney General shall make competitive grants 
to eligible State, tribal, and local governments to establish or 
maintain programs that provide protection or assistance to witnesses in 
court proceedings involving homicide, or involving a serious violent 
felony or serious drug offense as defined in section 3559(c)(2) of 
title 18, United States Code. The Attorney General shall ensure that, 
to the extent reasonable and practical, such grants are made to achieve 
an equitable geographical distribution of such programs throughout the 
United States.
    (b) State Defined.--For purposes of this Act, the term ``State'' 
means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, 
and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

SEC. 3. USE OF GRANTS.

    A grant made under section 2 may be used only to pay all or part of 
the cost of the program for which such grant is made.

SEC. 4. PRIORITY.

    In making grants under section 2, the Attorney General shall give 
priority to applications submitted under section 5 involving programs 
in States with an average of not less than 100 murders per year during 
the most recent 5-year period, as calculated using the latest available 
crime statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

SEC. 5. APPLICATION.

    To be eligible for a grant under section 2, a State, tribal, or 
local government shall submit to the Office of Justice Programs an 
application in such form and manner, at such time, and accompanied by 
such information as the Attorney General specifies.

SEC. 6. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

    From amounts made available to carry out this Act, the Attorney 
General, upon request of a recipient of a grant under section 2, shall 
provide technical assistance to such recipient to the extent the 
Attorney General determines such technical assistance is needed to 
establish or maintain a program described in such section.

SEC. 7. BEST PRACTICES.

    (a) Report.--Each recipient of a grant under section 2 shall submit 
to the Attorney General a report, in such form and manner and 
containing such information as specified by the Attorney General, that 
evaluates each program established or maintained pursuant to such 
grant, including policies and procedures under the program.
    (b) Development of Best Practices.--Based on the reports submitted 
under subsection (a), the Attorney General shall develop best practice 
models to assist States and other relevant entities in addressing--
            (1) witness safety;
            (2) short-term and permanent witness relocation;
            (3) financial and housing assistance; and
            (4) any other services related to witness protection or 
        assistance that are determined by the Attorney General to be 
        necessary.
    (c) Dissemination to States.--Not later than 1 year after the 
development of best practice models under subsection (b), the Attorney 
General shall disseminate to States and other relevant entities such 
models.
    (d) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that States and 
other relevant entities should use the best practice models developed 
and disseminated in accordance with this Act to evaluate, improve, and 
develop witness protection or witness assistance as appropriate.
    (e) Clarification.--Nothing in this Act requires the dissemination 
of any information if the Attorney General determines such information 
is law enforcement sensitive and should only be disclosed within the 
law enforcement community or that such information poses a threat to 
national security.

SEC. 8. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    Not later than December 31, 2015, the Attorney General shall submit 
a report to Congress on the programs funded by grants awarded under 
section 2, including on matters specified under section 7(b).

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$30,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014.

            Passed the House of Representatives June 9, 2009.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.
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