I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5550 

To provide for a reduction in the amount that may be awarded to a unit 

of local government 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.) 

for a unit of local government that funds an amount that is greater 

than 18 percent of its operating budget using revenue generated from 

collecting fines and other fees related to violations of traffic laws, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 

Ms. JACKSON LEE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To provide for a reduction in the amount that may be 

awarded to a unit of local government 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.) 

for a unit of local government that funds an amount 

that is greater than 18 percent of its operating budget 

using revenue generated from collecting fines and other 

fees related to violations of traffic laws, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘The Urban and Munic3 ipal Justice Act of 2014’’ or the ‘‘Justice Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The growing trend of local units of govern7 ment using traffic fines and traffic court fees and 

8 costs as revenue generators promotes unfair, exces9 sive targeting of citizens by law enforcement agents, 

10 infringes on civil liberties, and promotes reliance on 

11 unpredictable revenue sources. 

12 (2) The growing trend of local units of govern13 ment using traffic fines and traffic court fees and 

14 costs as revenue generators has the potential to 

15 breed public cynicism and distrust of local law en16 forcement agencies, and to lessen public confidence 

17 that the laws are being enforced impartially and the 

18 criminal justice system is administered equally. 

19 SEC. 3. REDUCTION IN GRANT FUNDING FOR UNITS OF 

20 LOCAL GOVERNMENT. 

21 (a) COLLECTION OF FINES FOR VIOLATIONS OF

22 TRAFFIC LAWS.—Except as provided in subsection (b), a 

23 unit of local government which, during the previous 3 fis24 cal years, funded an amount that, on average, was greater 

25 than 18 percent of its operating budget using revenue gen26 erated from collecting fines and other fees related to violaVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:26 Sep 26, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5550.IH H5550

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1 tions of traffic laws, shall, in the case of a unit of local 

2 government receiving grant funds under subpart 1 of part 

3 E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 

4 Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.), receive only 25 per5 cent of the grant award that would have otherwise been 

6 awarded to that unit of local government under such sub7 part. 

8 (b) DISPROPORTIONATE RACIAL COMPOSITION OF

9 LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.—In the case of a unit of 

10 local government described in subsection (a) for which, 

11 during the previous fiscal year, the percentage of individ12 uals who identify as a race who were employees of the 

13 law enforcement agency for that unit of local government, 

14 and the percentage of individuals who identify as that race 

15 who live in the jurisdiction which that law enforcement 

16 agency serves, differs by greater than 30 percent, the unit 

17 of local government shall receive only 5 percent of the 

18 grant award that would have otherwise been awarded to 

19 that unit of local government under subpart 1 of part E 

20 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 

21 Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.). 

22 (c) OBLIGATION OF STATES.—A State that receives 

23 a grant award under subpart 1 of part E of title I of the 

24 Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

25 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.), which does not reduce a subgrant 


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1 award made under such grant to a unit of local govern2 ment in its jurisdiction in accordance with this section, 

3 shall, in the succeeding fiscal year, receive only 50 percent 

4 of the grant award that would have otherwise been award5 ed to that State under such subpart. 

6 (d) REALLOCATION.—Any funds withheld from a 

7 State or unit of local government from a direct grant 

8 award by the Attorney General shall be reallocated in ac9 cordance with subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omni10 bus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

11 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.). 

Æ 


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