I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3738 

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 

establish a grant program for jurisdictions with high rates of violent 

crime, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 12, 2019 

Mr. COHEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 

Act of 1968 to establish a grant program for jurisdictions with high rates of violent crime, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safer Streets Act of 

5 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM. 

2 Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

3 Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) is amended 

4 by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘PART NN—GRANTS FOR JURISDICTIONS WITH 

6 HIGH RATES OF VIOLENT CRIME 

7 ‘‘SEC. 3201. IN GENERAL. 

8 ‘‘The Attorney General shall, each fiscal year, make 

9 grants to eligible units of local government. 

10 ‘‘SEC. 3202. ELIGIBILITY AND INCENTIVES. 

11 ‘‘To be eligible for a grant under this part, a unit 

12 of local government shall submit to the Attorney General 

13 information establishing that the rate of occurrence of vio14 lent crime within that unit of local government is 2 times 

15 or more the national violent crime rate. Of any amounts 

16 made available for grants under this part for a fiscal 

17 year— 

18 ‘‘(1) 50 percent of such amounts shall be for 

19 grants, of an equal amount to each, to units of local 

20 government for which such rate of occurrence is 4 

21 times the national violent crime rate or higher; 

22 ‘‘(2) 20 percent of such amounts shall be for 

23 grants, of an equal amount to each, to units of local 

24 government for which such rate of occurrence is 3 

25 times the national violent crime rate or higher; 


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1 ‘‘(3) 10 percent of such amounts shall be for 

2 grants, of an equal amount to each, to all other eli3 gible units of local government; and 

4 ‘‘(4) remaining amounts shall be for emergency 

5 grants to such units of local government as the At6 torney General determines appropriate. 

7 ‘‘SEC. 3203. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. 

8 ‘‘Not more than 10 percent of a grant made under 

9 this part may be used for costs incurred to administer 

10 such grant. 

11 ‘‘SEC. 3204. USE OF FUNDS. 

12 ‘‘Amounts made available as a grant under this part 

13 may be used by a grantee for law enforcement purposes 

14 including— 

15 ‘‘(1) hiring additional law enforcement officers; 

16 ‘‘(2) investing in surveillance equipment; and 

17 ‘‘(3) prevention programs. 

18 ‘‘SEC. 3205. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE. 

19 ‘‘Any unit of local government that experiences, for 

20 a fiscal year, an increase of 10 percent in the rate of oc21 currence in violent crime over the preceding fiscal year, 

22 shall be eligible for an additional amount equal to 10 per23 cent of the amount otherwise available under this part. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 3206. DEFINITION. 

2 ‘‘The term ‘violent crime’ has the meaning given that 

3 term by the Attorney General for purposes of the Uniform 

4 Crime Reporting Program, for the fiscal year during 

5 which the grants are made.’’. 

Æ 


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