I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1348
To provide funds to the National Center for Rural Law Enforcement, and
for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 3, 2001
Mr. HUTCHINSON (for himself and Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To provide funds to the National Center for Rural Law
Enforcement, and for other purposes.
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 ‘‘Rural Law Enforce-
ment Assistance Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) BOARD.—The term ‘‘Board’’ means the
members of the Board of the Center elected in ac-
cordance with the bylaws of the Center.
(2) CENTER.—The term ‘‘Center’’ means the
National Center for Rural Law Enforcement, a non-
profit corporation located in Little Rock, Arkansas.
(3) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Execu-
tive Director’’ means the Executive Director of the
Center as appointed in accordance with the bylaws
of the Center.
(4) INSTITUTIONS
OF
HIGHER
EDUCATION.—
The term ‘‘institutions of higher education’’ has the
meaning given the term in section 1201(a) of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1141(a)).
(5) METROPOLITAN
STATISTICAL
AREA.—The
term ‘‘metropolitan statistical area’’ has the same
meaning given the term by the Bureau of the Cen-
sus of the Department of Commerce.
(6) RURAL
AREA.—The term ‘‘rural area’’
means an area that is located outside of a metropoli-
tan statistical area.
(7) RURAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.—The
term ‘‘rural law enforcement agency’’ means a crimi-
nal justice or law enforcement agency that serves a
county, parish, city, town, township, borough, or vil-
lage that is located in a rural area.
SEC. 3. EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAM GRANTS.
(a) GRANT AUTHORITY.—The Attorney General shall
annually make a grant to the National Center for Rural
Law Enforcement through the Office of Justice Programs,
Bureau of Justice Affairs, if the Executive Director cer-
tifies in writing to the Attorney General that the Center—
(1) is incorporated in accordance with applica-
ble State law;
(2) is in compliance with the bylaws of the Cen-
ter;
(3) will use amounts made available under this
section in accordance with subsection (b); and
(4) will not support any political party or can-
didate for elected or appointed office.
(b) USES OF FUNDS.—
(1) REQUIRED USES OF FUNDS.—The Center
shall use amounts made available under this section
to develop an education and training program for
criminal justice or law enforcement agencies in rural
areas and the employees of those agencies, which
shall include—
(A) the development and delivery of man-
agement, forensic and computer education and
training, technical assistance, and practical re-
search and evaluation for employees of rural
law enforcement agencies (including tribal law
enforcement agencies and railroad law enforce-
ment agencies), including supervisory and exec-
utive managers of those agencies;
(B) conducting research into the causes
and prevention of criminal activity in rural
areas, including the causes, assessment, evalua-
tion, analysis, and prevention of criminal activ-
ity;
(C) the development and dissemination of
information designed to assist States and units
of local government in rural areas throughout
the United States;
(D) the establishment and maintenance of
a resource and information center for the collec-
tion, preparation, and dissemination of informa-
tion regarding criminal justice and law enforce-
ment in rural areas, including programs for the
prevention of crime and recidivism; and
(E) the delivery of assistance, in a con-
sulting capacity, to criminal justice agencies in
the development, establishment, maintenance,
and coordination of programs, facilities and
services, education, training, and research relat-
ing to crime in rural areas.
(2) PERMISSIVE USES OF FUNDS.—The Center
may use amounts made available under a grant
under this section to enhance the education and
training program developed under paragraph (1),
through—
(A) educational opportunities for rural law
enforcement agencies;
(B) the development, promotion, and vol-
untary adoption of educational and training
standards and accreditation certification pro-
grams for rural law enforcement agencies and
the employees of those agencies;
(C) grants to, and contracts with, State,
and local governments, law enforcement agen-
cies, public and private agencies, educational in-
stitutions, and other organizations and individ-
uals to carry out this paragraph;
(D) the formulation and recommendation
of law enforcement policy, goals, and standards
in rural areas applicable to criminal justice
agencies, organizations, institutions, and per-
sonnel; and
(E) coordination with institutions of higher
education for the purpose of encouraging and
delivering programs of study with those institu-
(d) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—The Executive Di-
rector shall annually submit to the Attorney General a re-
port, which shall include—
(1) a description of the education and training
program developed under subsection (b);
(2) the number and demographic representation
of individuals who attended programs sponsored by
the Center;
(3) a description of the extent to which re-
sources of other governmental agencies or private
entities were used in carrying out subsection (b);
and
(4) a description of the extent to which con-
tracts with other public and private entities were
used in carrying out subsection (b).
(e) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
section—
(1) $13,000,000 for fiscal year 2002; and
(2) such sums as may be necessary for each of
fiscal years 2003 through 2007.
SEC. 4. REGIONAL CENTERS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Center shall establish 8
regional centers, 1 in each geographic region listed
in subsection (b) that will be under the supervision,
direction, and control of the Center.
(2) REQUIREMENT.—The 8 regional centers
shall be established 2 per year during 2002, 2003,
2004, and 2005.
(b) REGIONS.—For purposes of subsection (a), the
regions shall be as follows:
(1) REGION 1.—Region 1 shall be comprised of
the following States—
(A) Connecticut;
(B) Maine;
(C) Massachusetts;
(D) New Hampshire;
(E) New York;
(F) Rhode Island; and
(G) Vermont.
(2) REGION 2.—Region 2 shall be comprised of
the following States—
(A) Delaware;
(B) Maryland;
(C) New Jersey;
(D) Ohio;
(E) Pennsylvania;
(F) West Virginia; and
(G) Virginia.
(3) REGION 3.—Region 3 shall be comprised of
the following States—
(A) Alabama;
(B) Florida;
(C) Georgia;
(D) Mississippi;
(E) North Carolina; and
(F) South Carolina.
(4) REGION 4.—Region 4 shall be comprised of
the following States—
(A) Iowa;
(B) Minnesota;
(C) Nebraska;
(D) North Dakota;
(E) South Dakota; and
(F) Wisconsin.
(5) REGION 5.—Region 5 shall be comprised of
the following States—
(A) Arkansas;
(B) Illinois;
(C) Indiana;
(D) Kentucky;
(E) Louisiana;
(F) Michigan;
(G) Missouri; and
(H) Tennessee.
(6) REGION 6.—Region 6 shall be comprised of
the following States—
(A) Colorado;
(B) Kansas;
(C) New Mexico;
(D) Oklahoma; and
(E) Texas.
(7) REGION 7.—Region 7 shall be comprised of
the following States—
(A) Arizona;
(B) California;
(C) Nevada; and
(D) Utah.
(8) REGION 8.—Region 8 shall be comprised of
the following States—
(A) Alaska;
(B) Hawaii;
(C) Idaho;
(D) Montana;
(E) Oregon;
(F) Washington; and
(G) Wyoming.
(c) FUNDING.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—All funds for the regional
centers shall be distributed by the Center which
shall determine the budget base of each regional cen-
ter based upon the budget request required to be
submitted by each regional center under paragraph
(2).
(2) BUDGET REQUEST.—Each regional center
shall submit a budget request to the Center at such
time and in such manner as the Executive Director
may reasonably require.
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
section—
(1) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2002;
(2) $16,000,000 for fiscal year 2003;
(3) $24,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
(4) $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
(5) such sums as may be necessary for each of
fiscal years 2006 and 2007.
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