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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 208 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 208

   To provide Federal coordination and assistance in preventing gang 
                               violence.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 12, 2009

  Mrs. Boxer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To provide Federal coordination and assistance in preventing gang 
                               violence.

    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 ``Mynisha's Law''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds--
            (1) with an estimated 26,500 gangs operating within the 
        United States, gang violence and drug trafficking remain 
        serious problems throughout the country, causing injury and 
        death to innocent victims, often children;
            (2) on November 13, 2005, a gang-related dispute broke out 
        in San Bernardino, California, and gunfire sprayed an apartment 
        building, killing 11-year-old Mynisha Crenshaw and seriously 
        wounding her 14-year-old sister as they ate Sunday dinner with 
        their family;
            (3) this tragic shooting symbolizes the struggle that so 
        many communities across the United States, like San Bernardino, 
        face in combating gang violence, and serves as a reminder of 
        the nationwide problem of protecting children from senseless 
        violence;
            (4) according to the National Drug Threat Assessment, 
        criminal street gangs are responsible for the distribution of 
        much of the cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and other illegal 
        drugs throughout the United States;
            (5) the Federal Government has made an increased commitment 
        to the suppression of gang violence through enhanced law 
        enforcement and criminal penalties; and
            (6) more Federal resources and coordination are needed to 
        reduce gang violence through proven and proactive prevention 
        and intervention programs that focus on keeping at-risk youth 
        in school and out of the criminal justice system.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION AS A HIGH INTENSITY GANG ACTIVITY AREA.

    (a) In General.--A unit of local government, city, county, tribal 
government, or a group of counties (whether located in 1 or more 
States) may submit an application to the Attorney General for 
designation as a High Intensity Gang Activity Area.
    (b) Criteria.--
            (1) In general.--The Attorney General shall establish 
        criteria for reviewing applications submitted under subsection 
        (a).
            (2) Considerations.--In establishing criteria under 
        subsection (a) and evaluating an application for designation as 
        a High Intensity Gang Activity Area, the Attorney General shall 
        consider--
                    (A) the current and predicted levels of gang crime 
                activity in the area;
                    (B) the extent to which violent crime in the area 
                appears to be related to criminal gang activity;
                    (C) the extent to which the area is already engaged 
                in local or regional collaboration regarding, and 
                coordination of, gang prevention activities; and
                    (D) such other criteria as the Attorney General 
                determines to be appropriate.

SEC. 4. PURPOSE OF THE TASK FORCE.

    (a) In General.--In order to coordinate Federal assistance to High 
Intensity Gang Activity Areas, the Attorney General shall establish an 
Interagency Gang Prevention Task Force (in this Act referred to as the 
``Task Force'') in each such area, consisting of a representative 
from--
            (1) the Department of Justice;
            (2) the Department of Education;
            (3) the Department of Labor;
            (4) the Department of Health and Human Services; and
            (5) the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
    (b) Coordination.--For each High Intensity Gang Activity Area 
designated by the Attorney General under section 3, the Task Force 
shall--
            (1) coordinate the activities of the Federal Government to 
        create a comprehensive gang prevention response, focusing on 
        early childhood intervention, at-risk youth intervention, 
        literacy, employment, community policing, and comprehensive 
        community-based programs such as Operation Cease Fire; and
            (2) coordinate its efforts with local and regional gang 
        prevention efforts.
    (c) Programs.--Each Task Force shall prioritize the needs of a High 
Intensity Gang Activity Area for funding under--
            (1) the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 
        (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.);
            (2) the Even Start programs under subpart 3 of part B of 
        title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
        (20 U.S.C. 6381 et seq.);
            (3) the Healthy Start Initiative under section 330H of the 
        Public Health Services Act (42 U.S.C. 254c-8);
            (4) the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.);
            (5) the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program 
        under part B of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7171 et seq.);
            (6) the Job Corps program under subtitle C of title I of 
        the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2881 et seq.);
            (7) the community development block grant program under 
        title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 
        (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.);
            (8) the Gang Resistance Education and Training projects 
        under subtitle X of title III of the Violent Crime Control and 
        Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 13921);
            (9) any program administered by the Office of Community 
        Oriented Policing Services;
            (10) the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program under 
        part R of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 
        Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796ee et seq.);
            (11) the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant 
        Program under subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omnibus 
        Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3750 et 
        seq.); and
            (12) any other program that the Task Force determines to be 
        appropriate.
    (d) Reporting Requirements.--
            (1) Annual task force reports to ag.--Not later than 
        September 1 of each year, each Task Force shall submit to the 
        Attorney General a report on the funding needs and programmatic 
        outcomes for each area designated as a High Intensity Gang 
        Activity Area.
            (2) Annual ag report to congress.--Not later than December 
        1 of each year, the Attorney General shall submit a report to 
        the appropriate committees of Congress and the Director of the 
        Office of Management and Budget and the Domestic Policy Council 
        that describes, for each designated High Intensity Gang 
        Activity Area--
                    (A) the specific long-term and short-term goals and 
                objectives of each such area;
                    (B) the measurements used to evaluate the 
                performance of the High Intensity Gang Activity Area in 
                achieving the long-term and short-term goals described 
                under subparagraph (A);
                    (C) the age, composition, and membership of gangs 
                in each such area;
                    (D) the number and nature of crimes committed by 
                gangs and gang members in each such area;
                    (E) the definition of the term ``gang'' used to 
                compile the information required under this subsection 
                for each such area; and
                    (F) the programmatic outcomes and funding need of 
                each High Intensity Gang Activity Area, including--
                            (i) an evidence-based analysis of the best 
                        practices and outcomes from the work of the 
                        relevant local collaborative working group; and
                            (ii) an analysis of whether Federal 
                        resources distributed meet the needs of the 
                        High Intensity Gang Activity Area and, if any 
                        programmatic funding shortfalls exist, 
                        recommendations for programs or funding to meet 
                        such shortfalls.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
to meet any needs identified by the Attorney General or in any report 
submitted under section 4(d)(2).
                                 <all>
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