I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3249 
To authorize the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 14, 2017 
Mrs. COMSTOCK introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To authorize the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant 
Program, 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 ‘‘Project Safe Neighbor-
hoods Grant Program Authorization Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
For the purposes of this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘criminal street gangs’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 521 of title 18, 
United States Code; 
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(2) the term ‘‘gang crime’’ means a felony or 
misdemeanor crime, under State or Federal law, 
committed by one or more persons who are a mem-
ber of, or directly affiliated with, a criminal street 
gang; 
(3) the term ‘‘transnational organized crime 
group’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
36(k)(6) of the State Department Basic Authorities 
Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2708(k)(6)); 
(4) the term ‘‘transnational organized crime’’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 36(k)(5) 
of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 
1956 (22 U.S.C. 2708(k)(5)); and 
(5) the term ‘‘firearms offenses’’ means an of-
fense under section 922 or 924 of title 18, United 
States Code. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT. 
The Attorney General of the United States is author-
ized to establish and carry out a program, to be known 
as the ‘‘Project Safe Neighborhoods Block Grant Pro-
gram’’ or, in this Act, as the ‘‘Program’’, within the Office 
of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice. 
SEC. 4. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Block 
Grant Program shall be to foster and improve existing 
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partnerships between Federal, State, and local agencies, 
including the United States Attorney in each Federal judi-
cial district, to create safer neighborhoods through sus-
tained reductions in crimes, including violent crimes and 
homicides, committed by criminal street gangs and 
transnational organized crime groups. 
SEC. 5. RULES AND REGULATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall, not 
later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
make rules to create, carry out, and administer the Pro-
gram in accordance with this section. 
(b) FUNDS TO BE DIRECTED TO LOCAL CONTROL.— 
Amounts made available as grants under the Program 
shall be, to the greatest extent practicable, locally con-
trolled to address problems that are identified locally 
(c) REGIONAL GANG TASK FORCES.—20 percent of 
the amounts made available as grants under the Program 
each fiscal year shall be granted to established Regional 
Gang Task Forces in regions experiencing a significant 
or increased presence of, or high levels of activity from, 
transnational organized crime groups posing threats to 
community safety in terms of violent crime, firearms of-
fenses, human trafficking, trafficking and distribution of 
illegal opioids and heroin, and other crimes. 
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SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated for the Pro-
gram under this Act $70,000,000 annually for fiscal years 
2018 through 2022. 
Æ 
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