Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act of 2015

To require the Attorney General to make competitive grants to State, tribal, and local governments to establish and maintain witness protection and assistance programs. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act of 2015 2. Witness protection grant program (a) Definitions In this section— (1) the term applicant (2) the terms serious drug offense serious violent felony (b) Grants required Subject to subsection (j), the Attorney General shall make competitive grants to State, tribal, and local governments to establish or maintain programs that provide protection or assistance to witnesses in court proceedings involving— (1) a homicide, serious violent felony, or serious drug offense; or (2) gangs or organized crime. (c) Criteria In making grants under this section, the Attorney General shall evaluate applicants based upon the following: (1) The extent to which the applicant lacks infrastructure to support programs that provide protection or assistance to witnesses. (2) The prevalence of witness intimidation in the jurisdiction of the applicant. (3) The percentage of cases not prosecuted by the applicant due to witness intimidation. (4) The number of homicides per capita committed in the jurisdiction of the applicant. (5) The number of serious violent felonies or serious drug offenses per capita committed in the jurisdiction of the applicant. (6) The extent to which organized crime is present in the jurisdiction of the applicant. (7) Any other criteria that the Attorney General determines appropriate. (d) Technical assistance From amounts made available under subsection (j) to carry out this section, the Attorney General, upon request of a recipient of a grant under this section, shall direct the appropriate offices within the Department of Justice to provide technical assistance to the recipient to the extent the Attorney General determines technical assistance is needed to establish or maintain a program that provides protection or assistance to witnesses. (e) Best practices (1) Report A recipient of a grant under this section shall submit to the Attorney General a report, in such form and manner and containing such information as specified by the Attorney General, that evaluates each program established or maintained pursuant to the grant, including policies and procedures under the program. (2) Development of Best Practices Based on the reports submitted under paragraph (1), the Attorney General shall develop best practice models to assist State, tribal, and local governments in addressing— (A) witness safety; (B) short-term and permanent witness relocation; (C) financial and housing assistance; and (D) any other services related to witness protection or assistance that the Attorney General determines necessary. (3) Dissemination to States Not later than 1 year after developing best practice models under paragraph (2), the Attorney General shall disseminate the models to State, tribal, and local governments. (4) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that State, tribal, and local governments should use the best practice models developed and disseminated under this subsection to evaluate, improve, and develop witness protection or witness assistance programs as appropriate. (5) Rule of construction relating to sensitive information Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the dissemination of any information that the Attorney General determines— (A) is law enforcement sensitive and should only be disclosed within the law enforcement community; or (B) poses a threat to national security. (f) Federal share (1) In general The Federal share of the cost of a program carried out using a grant made under this section shall be not more than 75 percent. (2) In-kind contributions (A) In general Subject to subparagraph (B), the non-Federal share for a program carried out using a grant made under this section may be in the form of in-kind contributions that are directly related to the purpose for which the grant was made. (B) Maximum percentage Not more than 50 percent of the non-Federal share for a program carried out using a grant made under this section may be in the form of in-kind contributions. (g) Administrative costs Of amounts made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year, the Attorney General may use not more than 5 percent for administrative costs. (h) Geographic distribution In making grants under this section, the Attorney General shall— (1) to the extent reasonable and practical, ensure an equitable geographical distribution throughout the United States of programs that provide protection or assistance to witnesses; and (2) give due consideration to applicants from both urban and rural areas. (i) Report to Congress The Attorney General shall submit a report to Congress— (1) not later than December 31, 2016, on the implementation of this section, including any information on programs funded by grants made under this section; and (2) not later than December 31, 2021, on the programs funded by grants made under this section, including on best practice models developed under subsection (e)(2). (j) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020.

Summary: Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award competitive matching grants to state, local, and tribal governments to establish or maintain witness protection programs in cases related to: (1) a homicide, serious violent felony, or serious drug offense; or (2) gangs or organized crime. DOJ must evaluate grant applications based on certain criteria, including the prevalence of witness intimidation, the presence of organized crime, and the per capita number of homicides, violent felonies, or serious drug offenses. The bill also requires DOJ to: (1) consider urban and rural applicants and ensure equitable geographic distribution of grant awards; and (2) develop and disseminate best practice models to help state, local, and tribal governments address witness protection and assistance issues.