SOBER Act of 2022

To direct the Attorney General to establish a grant program with respect to 24-7 sobriety programs, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Supporting Opportunities to Build Everyday Responsibility Act of 2022 SOBER Act of 2022 2. Grant program with respect to 24-7 sobriety programs (a) Establishment Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish a grant program (in this Act referred to as the Program (b) Grant authority In carrying out the Program, the Attorney General may award a grant to an eligible recipient that submits an application for the Program. (c) Eligible recipient (1) In general Grants awarded under the Program may be awarded to a State, Tribal government, or an agency, office, or a group of such agencies or offices of the State or Tribal government for the purpose of administering an eligible project under subsection (e). (2) Subgrant An eligible recipient awarded a grant under the Program may distribute subgrant of funds awarded under the program to any local government office or agency, or group of offices or agencies, for the purpose of administering an eligible project under subsection (e). (d) Applications To be eligible for a grant under the Program, an eligible recipient shall submit to the Attorney General an application at such time, in such manner, and containing or accompanied by such information as the Attorney General may reasonably require. (e) Eligible projects Grant funds awarded under the Program shall be used to defray administrative costs of an existing 24-7 sobriety program, or costs associated with implementing a new 24-7 sobriety program. Such costs may include— (1) hiring staff; (2) purchasing and maintaining equipment; (3) data collection; (4) helping a participant meet the financial obligations of being a participant in a 24-7 sobriety program; and (5) other administrative costs. (f) Federal share The Federal share of the cost of a project assisted with a grant under the Program shall not exceed 100 percent. (g) Report by eligible recipient Not later than 365 days after disbursement of funds to an eligible recipient under the Program, an eligible recipient shall submit to the Attorney General a report including, for each 24-7 sobriety program funded by the eligible recipient— (1) information on eligibility and participation in the 24-7 sobriety program; (2) data with respect to the consumption of alcohol or other controlled substances by 24-7 sobriety program participants; (3) data reflecting any criminal charges and convictions among participants during and up to five years after such participant participated in the 24-7 sobriety program; (4) data regarding programmatic outcomes, including technical violations of the 24-7 sobriety program and sanctions; and (5) categorized expenses incurred for the administration of a 24-7 sobriety program. (h) National Institute of Justice evaluation and report to Congress (1) Evaluation Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every two years thereafter, the Director of the National Institute of Justice shall conduct an evaluation to identify policies and procedures used by eligible recipients to reduce crime, recidivism, and incarceration attributed to use of alcohol or controlled substances. (2) Report to Congress and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Not later than 30 days after completion of the evaluation under paragraph (1), the Attorney General shall submit to Congress and the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration a report including— (A) the results of the evaluation conducted under paragraph (1) by the National Institute of Justice; and (B) information reported by each eligible recipient under subsection (g). (i) Authorization of appropriations (1) In general There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the Program $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. (2) New program implementation (A) In general At least 15 percent of funds awarded under the Program, on an annual basis, shall be awarded to an eligible recipient to implement a new 24-7 sobriety program. (B) New program An eligible recipient awarded funds under subparagraph (A), shall be ineligible for further grants under this Program if no such 24-7 sobriety program has been implemented two years after the distribution of Program funds under subparagraph (A). (3) Training and technical assistance At least 1 percent of annual Program funds shall be awarded to an eligible recipient under the Program for training and technical assistance related to the administration of 24-7 sobriety programs. (j) 24-7 sobriety program defined In this section, the term 24-7 sobriety program

Summary: Supporting Opportunities to Build Everyday Responsibility Act of 2022 or the SOBER Act of 2022 This bill directs the Department of Justice to establish a grant program to provide funding for 24-7 sobriety programs. It also directs the National Institute of Justice to evaluate the policies and procedures used by grant recipients to reduce crime, recidivism, and incarceration attributed to use of alcohol or controlled substances.