I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3908 
To amend title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
1968 to provide for improvements under the Edward Byrne Memorial 
Justice Assistance Grant Program to reduce racial and ethnic disparities 
in the criminal justice system. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 16, 2014 
Mr. COHEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 to provide for improvements under 
the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant 
Program to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the 
criminal justice system. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Byrne/JAG Program 
Accountability Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS UNDER THE EDWARD BYRNE ME-
MORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PRO-
GRAM TO REDUCE RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIS-
PARITIES IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYS-
TEM. 
Section 501 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3751) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(h) RACIAL DISPARITIES PRACTICES.—For years 
beginning after the date of the enactment of the Byrne/ 
JAG Program Accountability Act, States and units of 
local government receiving funds under this subpart shall 
implement policy, practice, and system improvement strat-
egies at the State, local, and tribal levels, as applicable, 
to identify and reduce racial and ethnic disparities among 
individuals who come into contact with or are under the 
supervision of the criminal justice system, without estab-
lishing or requiring numerical standards or quotas, 
through each of the following methods: 
‘‘(1) Establishing coordinating bodies, com-
posed of criminal justice stakeholders at the State, 
local, or tribal levels, as applicable, to oversee and 
monitor efforts by such States, unit of local govern-
ment, or Indian tribe to reduce racial and ethnic dis-
parities. 
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‘‘(2) Identifying and analyzing key decision 
points in the criminal justice system of the State, 
unit of local government, or Indian tribe, as applica-
ble, to determine which points create racial and eth-
nic disparities among those who come into contact 
with the justice system. 
‘‘(3) Developing and implementing data collec-
tion and analysis systems to identify where racial 
and ethnic disparities exist in the criminal justice 
system and to track and analyze such disparities. 
‘‘(4) Developing and implementing a work plan 
that includes measurable objectives for policy prac-
tice or other system changes, based on the needs 
identified in the data collection and analysis under 
paragraphs (2) and (3). 
‘‘(5) Publicly reporting, on an annual basis, the 
efforts made in accordance with paragraphs (2), (3), 
and (4) during the previous year.’’. 
Æ 
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