II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1296 

To provide enhanced Federal enforcement and assistance in preventing and 

prosecuting crimes of violence against children. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 3, 2007 

Mrs. BOXER (for herself, Mr. BIDEN, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 

Judiciary 

A BILL 

To provide enhanced Federal enforcement and assistance in 

preventing and prosecuting crimes of violence against 

children. 

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 ‘‘Violence Against Chil5 dren Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) According to data from the National Inci9 dent-Based Reporting System, people under the age 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
2 

•S 1296 IS

1 of 18 make up approximately 26 percent of violent 

2 crime victims reported to police, including 70 per3 cent of all reported sexual assaults. Of the victims 

4 under the age of 18, approximately 37 percent were 

5 under the age of 12. 

6 (2) According to data from the Bureau of Jus7 tice Statistics, people between the ages of 12 and 17 

8 are over 2 times more likely to be victims of violent 

9 crime than adults. 

10 (3) According to data from the Bureau of Jus11 tice Statistics, only 29 percent of violent crimes 

12 against people between ages 12 and 17 are actually 

13 reported to police. 

14 (4) According to data from the Department of 

15 Health and Human Services, an estimated 152,600 

16 children were victims of physical abuse in 2004, of 

17 which approximately 422 were fatalities. 

18 (5) Child abuse has long-lasting negative effects 

19 upon children and families, including delayed devel20 opment, depression, substance abuse, and increased 

21 likelihood of experiencing or perpetrating domestic 

22 violence as an adult. 

23 (6) Local law enforcement agencies are in need 

24 of additional resources to protect and serve the 

25 needs of children and families. 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
3 

•S 1296 IS

1 (7) Legal representation, including training re2 quirements for attorneys, guardians ad litem (GAL), 

3 and court appointed special advocates (CASA), and 

4 caseload restrictions, for children in dependency 

5 court varies substantially by State and jurisdiction. 

6 (8) With an estimated 30,000 gangs operating 

7 within the United States, gang violence and drug 

8 trafficking remain serious problems throughout the 

9 country, causing injury and death to innocent vic10 tims, often children. 

11 (9)(A) On November 13, 2005, a gang-related 

12 dispute broke out in San Bernardino, California, and 

13 gunfire sprayed an apartment building, killing 11- 

14 year-old Mynisha Crenshaw and seriously wounding 

15 her 14-year-old sister as they ate Sunday dinner 

16 with their family. 

17 (B) This tragic shooting symbolizes the struggle 

18 that so many communities across the United States, 

19 like San Bernardino, face in combating gang vio20 lence, and serves as a reminder of the nationwide 

21 problem of protecting children from senseless vio22 lence. 

23 (10) According to the National Drug Threat 

24 Assessment, criminal street gangs are responsible for 

25 the distribution of much of the cocaine, methVerDate Aug 31 2005 04:05 May 05, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1296.IS S1296

hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
4 

•S 1296 IS

1 amphetamine, heroin, and other illegal drugs 

2 throughout the United States. 

3 (11) Coordination of Federal resources is need4 ed to reduce gang violence through proven and 

5 proactive prevention and intervention programs, in6 cluding programs that focus on keeping at-risk 

7 youth in school and out of the criminal justice sys8 tem. 

9 TITLE I—ENHANCED FEDERAL 

10 ROLE IN CRIMES AGAINST 

11 CHILDREN 

12 SEC. 101. ENHANCED PENALTIES. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 110 of title 18, United 

14 States Code, is amended by inserting at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘§ 2260A. Violence against children 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Whoever, whether or not acting 

18 under color of law, in any circumstance described in sub19 section (b), by force or threat of force intentionally causes 

20 or attempts to cause serious bodily injury to any person 

21 under 18 years of age shall be imprisoned for any term 

22 of years or for life, and fined in accordance with this title, 

23 if— 

24 ‘‘(1) death results from the offense; or 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
5 

•S 1296 IS

1 ‘‘(2) the offense includes aggravated assault or 

2 attempted aggravated assault, aggravated battery or 

3 attempted aggravated battery, robbery or attempted 

4 robbery, or an attempt to kill. 

5 ‘‘(b) CIRCUMSTANCES.—For purposes of subsection 

6 (a), the circumstances described in this subsection are 

7 that— 

8 ‘‘(1) in the course of the conducts described in 

9 subsection (a), the minor or the defendant traveled 

10 in or was transported in interstate or foreign com11 merce; 

12 ‘‘(2) the conduct described in subsection (a) is 

13 done within the special maritime and territorial ju14 risdiction of the United States; or 

15 ‘‘(3) in the course of the conduct described in 

16 subsection (a) the defendant used a channel, facility, 

17 or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce. 

18 ‘‘(c) SERIOUS BODILY INJURY.—In this section— 

19 ‘‘(1) the term ‘serious bodily injury’ means in20 jury involving extreme physical pain or the pro21 tracted impairment of a function of a bodily mem22 ber, organ, or mental faculty, or requiring medical 

23 intervention such as surgery, hospitalization, or 

24 physical rehabilitation; and 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
6 

•S 1296 IS

1 ‘‘(2) serious bodily injury is deemed to have oc2 curred if the offense involves conduct constituting 

3 criminal sexual abuse under section 2241 or 2242 of 

4 this title. 

5 ‘‘(d) PENALTIES.—An offense under this section 

6 shall not preempt any offense or penalty under relevant 

7 State law.’’. 

8 (b) AMENDMENT TO CHAPTER ANALYSIS.—The 

9 chapter analysis for chapter 110 of title 18, United States 

10 Code, is amended by inserting at the end the following: 

‘‘2260A. Violence against children.’’. 

11 (c) ENHANCED PENALTIES FOR EXISTING CRIMES

12 WHEN COMMITTED AGAINST CHILDREN.—Pursuant to 

13 its authority under section 994(p) of title 28, United 

14 States Code, and in accordance with this Act and its pur15 poses, the United States Sentencing Commission shall re16 view and amend its guidelines and its policy statements 

17 to provide enhanced penalties when the victim of a Federal 

18 crime is under the age of 18. 

19 (d) GAO REVIEW OF STATE LAWS.—Not later than 

20 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

21 Comptroller General of the United States shall— 

22 (1) review the statutory penalties for crimes 

23 against children under State laws and the sentencing 

24 practices of the States with respect to those crimes, 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
7 

•S 1296 IS

1 including whether a State provides enhanced pen2 alties when the victim of the crime is a child; and 

3 (2) report the findings of the review to Con4 gress. 

5 SEC. 102. ENHANCED ASSISTANCE FOR CRIMINAL INVES6 TIGATIONS AND PROSECUTIONS BY STATE 

7 AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—At the request of a State, Indian 

9 tribal government, or unit of local government, the Attor10 ney General shall provide technical, forensic, prosecutorial, 

11 or any other form of assistance in the criminal investiga12 tion or prosecution of any crime that— 

13 (1) constitutes a crime of violence (as defined 

14 in section 16 of title 18, United States Code); 

15 (2) constitutes a felony under the laws of the 

16 State or Indian tribe; and 

17 (3) is committed against a person under 18 

18 years of age. 

19 (b) PRIORITY.—If the Attorney General determines 

20 that there are insufficient resources to fulfill requests 

21 made pursuant to subsection (a), the Attorney General 

22 shall give priority to requests for assistance to— 

23 (1) crimes committed by, or believed to be com24 mitted by, offenders who have committed crimes in 

25 more than 1 State; and 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
8 

•S 1296 IS

1 (2) rural jurisdictions that have difficulty cov2 ering the extraordinary expenses relating to the in3 vestigation or prosecution of the crime. 

4 (c) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Every 180 days following 

6 the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney Gen7 eral shall submit to Congress a report on applica8 tions for Federal assistance under this Act, and 

9 Federal assistance provided under this Act. 

10 (2) CONTENTS.—Each report under paragraph 

11 (1) shall include— 

12 (A) a listing of all applications for Federal 

13 assistance under this Act during the previous 

14 180 days; 

15 (B) a description of each application sub16 mitted during the previous 180 days, whether 

17 approved, denied, or pending, including the 

18 name of the requesting party and the nature of 

19 the request for assistance; 

20 (C) reasons for approval or denial of each 

21 application, and the persons involved in the re22 view and decision-making process for each ap23 plication; and 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
9 

•S 1296 IS

1 (D) if Federal assistance was provided, a 

2 description of the assistance provided, including 

3 the date on which the assistance was provided. 

4 TITLE II—GRANT PROGRAMS 

5 SEC. 201. FEDERAL ASSISTANCE TO STATE AND LOCAL LAW 

6 ENFORCEMENT. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall award 

8 grants to assist States, Indian tribal governments, and 

9 units of local government to develop and strengthen effec10 tive law enforcement and prosecution of crimes against 

11 children. 

12 (b) PURPOSES.—Grants provided under this section 

13 shall provide personnel, training, technical assistance, 

14 data collection, and other equipment for the more wide15 spread apprehension, prosecution, and adjudication of per16 sons committing crimes against children, and specifically, 

17 for the purposes of— 

18 (1) training law enforcement officers, prosecu19 tors, judges, and other court personnel to more ef20 fectively identify and respond to crimes against chil21 dren; 

22 (2) developing, training, or expanding units of 

23 law enforcement officers, prosecutors, or courts spe24 cifically targeting crimes against children; 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
10 

•S 1296 IS

1 (3) developing and implementing more effective 

2 police and prosecution policies, protocols, orders, and 

3 services specifically devoted to preventing, identi4 fying, and responding to crimes against children; 

5 (4) developing, installing, or expanding data 

6 collection and communication systems, including 

7 computerized systems, linking police, prosecutors, 

8 and courts for the purpose of identifying and track9 ing arrests, prosecutions, and convictions for crimes 

10 against children; 

11 (5) encouraging, developing, and strengthening 

12 programs, procedures, and policies that enhance 

13 cross-collaboration and cross-communication between 

14 law enforcement and child services agencies regard15 ing the care, treatment, and services for child vic16 tims; 

17 (6) developing, enlarging, or strengthening pro18 grams addressing the needs and circumstances of 

19 Indian tribes in dealing with crimes against children; 

20 and 

21 (7) developing, training, or expanding units of 

22 law enforcement officers, prosecutors, or courts to 

23 investigate and prosecute Internet crimes against 

24 children, including increased development and train25 ing in the use of forensic methods. 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
11 

•S 1296 IS

1 (c) APPLICATION.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each State, Indian tribal 

3 government, or unit of local government that desires 

4 a grant under this section shall submit an applica5 tion to the Attorney General at such time, in such 

6 manner, and accompanied by or containing such in7 formation as the Attorney General shall reasonably 

8 require. 

9 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—A State, Indian tribal 

10 government, or unit of local government applying for 

11 a grant under this section shall— 

12 (A) describe— 

13 (i) the purposes for which the grant is 

14 needed; 

15 (ii) the intended use of the grant 

16 funds; and 

17 (iii) the expected results from the use 

18 of grant funds; 

19 (B) demonstrate that, in developing a plan 

20 to implement the grant, the State, Indian tribal 

21 government, or unit of local government has 

22 consulted and coordinated with nonprofit, non23 governmental victim services programs that 

24 have experience in providing services to victims 

25 of crimes against children; and 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
12 

•S 1296 IS

1 (C) certify that— 

2 (i) any Federal funds received under 

3 this section will be used to supplement, not 

4 supplant, non-Federal funds that would 

5 otherwise be available for activities funded 

6 under this section; and 

7 (ii) the State, the Indian tribal gov8 ernment, or the State in which the unit of 

9 local government is located is in compli10 ance with sections 301 and 302. 

11 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

12 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

13 $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 

14 2010. 

15 SEC. 202. EDUCATION, PREVENTION, AND VICTIMS’ ASSIST16 ANCE GRANTS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall award 

18 grants to assist States, Indian tribal governments, units 

19 of local government, universities, and nongovernmental or20 ganizations to provide education, prevention, intervention, 

21 and victims’ assistance services regarding crimes against 

22 children. 

23 (b) PURPOSES.—Grants provided under this section 

24 shall be used to provide education, prevention, and inter25 vention services to prevent crimes against children and to 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
13 

•S 1296 IS

1 provide assistance to children, and the families of children, 

2 who are victims of crime, including— 

3 (1) educational seminars; 

4 (2) the operation of hotlines; 

5 (3) training programs for professionals; 

6 (4) the preparation of informational material 

7 for education and public awareness; 

8 (5) multidisciplinary training curricula at ac9 credited schools of law and undergraduate institu10 tions in order to provide a broad and comprehensive 

11 foundation for improved intervention and representa12 tion of abused and neglected children; 

13 (6) intervention services to prevent crimes 

14 against children; 

15 (7) other efforts to increase awareness of the 

16 facts about, or to help prevent, crimes against chil17 dren, including efforts to increase awareness in un18 derserved racial, ethnic, and language minority com19 munities; 

20 (8) emergency medical treatment for victims; 

21 (9) counseling to victims of crimes against chil22 dren and their families; and 

23 (10) increasing the supply of mental health pro24 fessionals specializing in the mental health of victims 

25 of crimes against children. 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
14 

•S 1296 IS

1 (c) APPLICATION.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each State, Indian tribal 

3 government, unit of local government, or nongovern4 mental organization that desires a grant under this 

5 section shall submit an application to the Attorney 

6 General at such time, in such manner, and accom7 panied by or containing such information as the At8 torney General shall reasonably require. 

9 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—A State, Indian tribal 

10 government, unit of local government, or nongovern11 mental organization applying for a grant under this 

12 section shall— 

13 (A) describe— 

14 (i) the purposes for which the grant is 

15 needed; 

16 (ii) the intended use of the grant 

17 funds; and 

18 (iii) the expected results from the use 

19 of grant funds; 

20 (B) demonstrate that, in developing a plan 

21 to implement the grant— 

22 (i) in the case of a State, Indian tribal 

23 government, or unit of local government, 

24 that the State, Indian tribal government, 

25 or unit of local government has consulted 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
15 

•S 1296 IS

1 and coordinated with nonprofit, nongovern2 mental victim services programs that have 

3 experience in providing services to victims 

4 of crimes against children; and 

5 (ii) in the case of a nongovernmental 

6 organization, that the nongovernmental or7 ganization has experience in providing edu8 cation, prevention, or intervention services 

9 regarding crimes against children or has 

10 experience in providing services to victims 

11 of crimes against children; and 

12 (C) certify that— 

13 (i) any Federal funds received under 

14 this section will be used to supplement, not 

15 supplant, non-Federal funds that would 

16 otherwise be available for activities funded 

17 under this section, provided that the Attor18 ney General may waive such requirement 

19 for nongovernmental organizations in ex20 traordinary circumstances; and 

21 (ii) the State, the Indian tribal gov22 ernment, the State in which the unit of 

23 local government is located, or the State in 

24 which the nongovernmental organization 

25 will operate the activities funded under this 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
16 

•S 1296 IS

1 section is located, is in compliance with 

2 section 303. 

3 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

4 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

5 $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 

6 2010. 

7 TITLE III—NATIONWIDE 

8 PROGRAMS 

9 SEC. 301. IMPROVED STATISTICAL GATHERING. 

10 Each State receiving grants pursuant to title II shall 

11 use, or shall be in the process of testing or developing pro12 tocols to use, the National Incident-Based Reporting Sys13 tem. 

14 SEC. 302. NATIONAL SAFE HAVEN. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the 

16 date of enactment of this Act, each State receiving grants 

17 pursuant to title II shall have in effect a statute that— 

18 (1) permits a parent to leave a newborn baby 

19 with a medically trained employee of a hospital 

20 emergency room anonymously without any criminal 

21 or other penalty; 

22 (2) includes a mechanism to encourage and per23 mit a hospital employee in the receiving hospital to 

24 collect information about the medical history of the 

25 family subject to the approval of the parent; 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
17 

•S 1296 IS

1 (3) requires law enforcement entities in the 

2 State, immediately after relinquishment of a child 

3 under paragraph (1), to search State and Federal 

4 missing person databases to ensure that the child 

5 has not been reported missing; and 

6 (4) includes a plan for publicizing the State’s 

7 Safe Haven law. 

8 (b) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding subsection (a)(1), 

9 a State statute in effect pursuant to this section may deny 

10 a parent the ability to leave a newborn baby anonymously 

11 without any criminal or other penalty if the newborn baby 

12 shows signs of abuse or appears to have been intentionally 

13 harmed. 

14 SEC. 303. IMPROVED CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES PRO15 GRAMS. 

16 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

17 of this Act, each State receiving an allotment for child wel18 fare services under subpart 1 of part B of title IV of the 

19 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq.) shall submit 

20 to the Secretary of Health and Human Services a report 

21 detailing the State’s program funded under that subpart, 

22 including the process for maintaining records and 

23 verifying the well-being of the children under the State’s 

24 care. 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
18 

•S 1296 IS

1 SEC. 304. MODEL TRAINING AND CASELOAD STANDARDS. 

2 (a) DEVELOPMENT.— 

3 (1) MODEL CURRICULUM AND TRAINING

4 STANDARDS.—The Secretary of Health and Human 

5 Services, in conjunction with the Attorney General, 

6 shall develop model standards for curriculum and 

7 training for individuals who are guardians ad litem, 

8 court appointed special advocates, or attorneys ad 

9 litem, in child abuse and neglect cases (as defined in 

10 section 111 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 

11 Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106g)). The Secretary 

12 of Health and Human Services shall design the 

13 standards to improve the quality of representation 

14 by, and uniformity of practices of, such individuals, 

15 throughout the United States. 

16 (2) CASELOAD STANDARDS.—The Secretary of 

17 Health and Human Services, after consulting with 

18 the Attorney General, shall develop caseload stand19 ards for the individuals described in paragraph (1). 

20 (b) DISSEMINATION.—Not later than 18 months 

21 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

22 Health and Human Services shall disseminate the stand23 ards developed under paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection 

24 (a) to State child welfare agencies receiving assistance 

25 under subpart 1 of part B of title IV of the Social Security 

26 Act (42 U.S.C. 620 et seq.). 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
19 

•S 1296 IS

1 TITLE IV—MYNISHA’S LAW 

2 SEC. 401. SHORT TITLE. 

3 This title may be cited as ‘‘Mynisha’s Law’’. 

4 SEC. 402. FEDERAL COORDINATION AND ASSISTANCE IN 

5 PREVENTING GANG VIOLENCE. 

6 The Attorney General shall establish an interagency 

7 task force to provide Federal assistance and coordination 

8 in preventing gang violence. 

9 SEC. 403. DESIGNATION AS A HIGH INTENSITY INTERSTATE 

10 GANG AREA. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—A unit of local government, city, 

12 county, tribal government, or a group of counties (whether 

13 located in 1 or more States) may submit an application 

14 to the Attorney General for designation as a high intensity 

15 interstate gang area. 

16 (b) CRITERIA.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall 

18 establish criteria for reviewing applications sub19 mitted under subsection (a). 

20 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In establishing criteria 

21 under subsection (a) and evaluating an application 

22 for designation as a high intensity interstate gang 

23 area, the Attorney General shall consider— 

24 (A) the current and predicted levels of 

25 gang crime activity in the area; 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
20 

•S 1296 IS

1 (B) the extent to which violent crime in 

2 the area appears to be related to criminal gang 

3 activity; 

4 (C) the extent to which the area is already 

5 engaged in local or regional collaboration re6 garding, and coordination of, gang prevention 

7 activities; 

8 (D) the extent to which an increase in the 

9 allocation of Federal resources would enhance 

10 local response to the gang crime or gang pre11 vention activities in the area; and 

12 (E) such other criteria as the Attorney 

13 General determines to be appropriate. 

14 SEC. 404. PURPOSE OF THE TASK FORCE. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—In order to coordinate Federal as16 sistance to high intensity interstate gang areas, the Attor17 ney General shall establish an Interagency Gang Preven18 tion Task Force (in this title referred to as the ‘‘Task 

19 Force’’), consisting of a representative from— 

20 (1) the Department of Justice; 

21 (2) the Department of Education; 

22 (3) the Department of Labor; 

23 (4) the Department of Health and Human 

24 Services; and 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
21 

•S 1296 IS

1 (5) the Department of Housing and Urban De2 velopment. 

3 (b) COORDINATION.—For each high intensity inter4 state gang area designated by the Attorney General under 

5 section 403, the Task Force shall— 

6 (1) coordinate the activities of the Federal Gov7 ernment to create a comprehensive gang prevention 

8 response, focusing on early childhood intervention, 

9 at-risk youth intervention, literacy, employment, and 

10 community policing; and 

11 (2) coordinate its efforts with local and regional 

12 gang prevention efforts. 

13 (c) PROGRAMS.—The Task Force shall prioritize the 

14 needs of high intensity interstate gang areas for funding 

15 under— 

16 (1) the Child Care and Development Block 

17 Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.); 

18 (2) the Even Start programs under subpart 3 

19 of part B of title I of the Elementary and Secondary 

20 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6381 et seq.); 

21 (3) the Healthy Start Initiative under section 

22 330H of the Public Health Services Act (42 U.S.C. 

23 254c–8); 

24 (4) the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et 

25 seq.); 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
22 

•S 1296 IS

1 (5) the 21st Century Community Learning Cen2 ters program under part B of title IV of the Ele3 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

4 U.S.C. 7171 et seq.); 

5 (6) the Job Corps program under subtitle C of 

6 title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 

7 U.S.C. 2881 et seq.); 

8 (7) the community development block grant 

9 program under title I of the Housing and Commu10 nity Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et 

11 seq.); 

12 (8) the Gang Resistance Education and Train13 ing projects under subtitle X of title III of the Vio14 lent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 

15 1994 (42 U.S.C. 13921); 

16 (9) any program administered by the Office of 

17 Community Oriented Policing Services; 

18 (10) the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant 

19 program under part R of title I of the Omnibus 

20 Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 

21 U.S.C. 3796ee et seq.); 

22 (11) the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice As23 sistance Grant Program under subpart 1 of part E 

24 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

25 Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3750 et seq.); and 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
23 

•S 1296 IS

1 (12) any other program that the Task Force 

2 determines to be appropriate. 

3 (d) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than February 1 

5 of each year, the Task Force shall submit to Con6 gress and the Attorney General a report on the 

7 funding needs and programmatic outcomes for each 

8 area designated as a high intensity interstate gang 

9 area. 

10 (2) CONTENTS.—Each report under paragraph 

11 (1) shall include— 

12 (A) an evidence-based analysis of the best 

13 practices and outcomes among the areas des14 ignated as high intensity interstate gang areas; 

15 and 

16 (B) an analysis of the adequacy of Federal 

17 funding to meet the needs of each area des18 ignated as a high intensity interstate gang area 

19 and, if the Task Force identifies any pro20 grammatic shortfalls in addressing gang pre21 vention, a request for new funding or re22 programming of existing funds to meet such 

23 shortfalls. 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
24 

•S 1296 IS

1 SEC. 405. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

3 as are necessary to meet any needs identified in any report 

4 submitted under section 404(d)(1). 

5 TITLE V—SCHOOL SAFETY 

6 ENHANCEMENTS 

7 SEC. 501. GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL SECURITY. 

8 Section 2701 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

9 Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797a) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (b)— 

11 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘surveil12 lance,’’ after ‘‘detectors,’’; 

13 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert14 ing the following: 

15 ‘‘(2) The establishment of hotlines or tiplines 

16 for the reporting of potentially dangerous students 

17 and situations.’’; 

18 (C) by redesignating paragraph (5) as 

19 paragraph (6); and 

20 (D) by inserting after paragraph (4) the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(5) Capital improvements to make school fa23 cilities more secure.’’; 

24 (2) by striking subsection (d)(1) and inserting 

25 the following: 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
25 

•S 1296 IS

1 ‘‘(1) Notwithstanding section 1701(g), the Fed2 eral share of the costs of a program provided by a 

3 grant under subsection (a) shall be 80 percent of the 

4 total of such costs. The non-Federal share of such 

5 costs shall be 20 percent of such costs.’’; and 

6 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(g) INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE.—Not later than 60 

8 days after the date of enactment of the School Safety En9 hancements Act of 2007, the Director and the Secretary 

10 of Education, or the designee of the Secretary, shall estab11 lish an interagency task force to develop and promulgate 

12 a set of advisory school safety guidelines. The advisory 

13 school safety guidelines shall be published in the Federal 

14 Register by not later than June 1, 2008.’’. 

15 SEC. 502. APPLICATIONS. 

16 Section 2702(a)(2) of the Omnibus Crime Control 

17 and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797b(a)(2)) is 

18 amended to read as follows: 

19 ‘‘(2) be accompanied by a report, signed by the 

20 chief education officer and the attorney general or 

21 other chief legal officer of the State, unit of local 

22 government, or Indian tribe, demonstrating that 

23 each proposed use of the grant funds will be— 

24 ‘‘(A) an effective means for improving the 

25 safety of 1 or more schools; 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS
26 

•S 1296 IS

1 ‘‘(B) consistent with a comprehensive ap2 proach to preventing school violence; and 

3 ‘‘(C) individualized to the needs of each 

4 school at which those improvements are to be 

5 made.’’. 

6 SEC. 503. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

7 Section 2705 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

8 Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3797e) is amended by 

9 striking ‘‘$30,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$50,000,000’’. 

Æ 


hmoore on PRODPC68 with HMBILLS