II 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1982

To establish within the United States Marshalls Service a short term State 

witness protection program to provide assistance to State and local 

district attorneys to protect their witnesses in homicide and major violent 

crime cases and to provide Federal grants for such protection. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 9, 2003

Mr. SCHUMER (for himself, Mr. HATCH, and Mr. DURBIN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 

Judiciary 

A BILL

To establish within the United States Marshalls Service a 

short term State witness protection program to provide 

assistance to State and local district attorneys to protect 

their witnesses in homicide and major violent crime cases 

and to provide Federal grants for such protection.

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 ‘‘Witness Security and 

5 Protection Act of 2003’’. 
2

•S 1982 IS 

1 SEC. 2. SHORT TERM STATE WITNESS PROTECTION SEC2 TION. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 37 of title 28, United 

4 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘§ 570. Short Term State Witness Protection Section 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 

8 United States Marshalls Service a Short Term State Wit9 ness Protection Section which shall provide protection for 

10 witnesses in State and local trials involving homicide or 

11 other major violent crimes pursuant to cooperative agree12 ments with State and local district attorneys and the 

13 United States attorney for the District of Columbia. 

14 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—The Short Term State Witness 

15 Protection Section shall give priority in awarding grants 

16 and providing services to prosecutor’s offices in States 

17 with an average of not less than 100 murders per year 

18 during the 5-year period immediately preceding an appli19 cation for protection, as calculated using the latest avail20 able crime statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investiga21 tion.’’. 

22 (b) CHAPTER ANALYSIS.—The chapter analysis for 

23 chapter 37 of title 28, United States Code, is amended 

24 by striking the items for sections 570 through 576 and 

25 inserting the following:

‘‘570. Short Term State Witness Protection Section.’’.
3

•S 1982 IS 

1 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM. 

2 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General is au4 thorized to make grants to State and local district 

5 attorneys and the United States attorney for the 

6 District of Columbia for the purpose of providing 

7 short term protection to witnesses in trials involving 

8 homicide or serious violent felony (as defined in sec9 tion 3559(c)(2) of title 18, United States Code. 

10 (2) ALLOCATION.—Each district attorney re11 ceiving a grant under this section may either—

12 (A) use the grant to provide witness pro13 tection; or 

14 (B) pursuant to a cooperative agreement 

15 with the Short Term State Witness Protection 

16 Section of the United States Marshalls Service, 

17 credit the grant to the Short Term State Wit18 ness Protection Section to cover the costs to the 

19 section of providing witness protection on behalf 

20 of the district attorney. 

21 (3) ELIGIBILITY.—Grants under this section 

22 may only be awarded in States with an average of 

23 not less than 100 murders per year during the most 

24 recent 5-year period, as calculated using the latest 

25 available crime statistics from the Federal Bureau of 

26 Investigation. 
4

•S 1982 IS 

1 (b) APPLICATION.—

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible district attor3 ney desiring a grant under this section shall submit 

4 an application to the Attorney General at such time, 

5 in such manner, and accompanied by such informa6 tion as the Attorney General may reasonably re7 quire. 

8 (2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

9 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall—

10 (A) describe the activities for which assist11 ance under this section is sought; and 

12 (B) provide such additional assurances as 

13 the Attorney General determines to be essential 

14 to ensure compliance with the requirements of 

15 this section. 

16 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

17 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

18 $90,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2005, 2006, and 

19 2007.

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