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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Witness Security and 
Protection Grant Program Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WITNESS PROTECTION GRANT 
PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall make 
competitive grants to eligible State, tribal, and local gov-
ernments to establish or maintain programs that provide 
protection or assistance to witnesses in court proceedings 
involving homicide, or involving a serious violent felony or 
serious drug offense as defined in section 3559(c)(2) of 
title 18, United States Code. The Attorney General shall 
ensure that, to the extent reasonable and practical, such 
grants are made to achieve an equitable geographical dis-
tribution of such programs throughout the United States. 
(b) STATE DEFINED.—For purposes of this Act, the 
term ‘‘State’’ means any State of the United States, the 
District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 
the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Com-
monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 
SEC. 3. USE OF GRANTS. 
A grant made under section 2 may be used only to 
pay all or part of the cost of the program for which such 
grant is made. 
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SEC. 4. PRIORITY. 
In making grants under section 2, the Attorney Gen-
eral shall give priority to applications submitted under sec-
tion 5 involving programs in States with an average of 
not less than 100 murders per year during the most recent 
5-year period, as calculated using the latest available 
crime statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 
SEC. 5. APPLICATION. 
To be eligible for a grant under section 2, a State, 
tribal, or local government shall submit to the Office of 
Justice Programs an application in such form and man-
ner, at such time, and accompanied by such information 
as the Attorney General specifies. 
SEC. 6. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 
From amounts made available to carry out this Act, 
the Attorney General, upon request of a recipient of a 
grant under section 2, shall provide technical assistance 
to such recipient to the extent the Attorney General deter-
mines such technical assistance is needed to establish or 
maintain a program described in such section. 
SEC. 7. BEST PRACTICES. 
(a) REPORT.—Each recipient of a grant under sec-
tion 2 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 such 
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grant, including policies and procedures under the pro-
gram. 
(b) DEVELOPMENT OF BEST PRACTICES.—Based on 
the reports submitted under subsection (a), the Attorney 
General shall develop best practice models to assist States 
and other relevant entities in addressing— 
(1) witness safety; 
(2) short-term and permanent witness reloca-
tion; 
(3) financial and housing assistance; and 
(4) any other services related to witness protec-
tion or assistance that are determined by the Attor-
ney General to be necessary. 
(c) DISSEMINATION TO STATES.—Not later than 1 
year after the development of best practice models under 
subsection (b), the Attorney General shall disseminate to 
States and other relevant entities such models. 
(d) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that States and other relevant entities should use 
the best practice models developed and disseminated in ac-
cordance with this Act to evaluate, improve, and develop 
witness protection or witness assistance as appropriate. 
(e) CLARIFICATION.—Nothing in this Act requires 
the dissemination of any information if the Attorney Gen-
eral determines such information is law enforcement sen-
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sitive and should only be disclosed within the law enforce-
ment community or that such information poses a threat 
to national security. 
SEC. 8. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
Not later than December 31, 2015, the Attorney 
General shall submit a report to Congress on the programs 
funded by grants awarded under section 2, including on 
matters specified under section 7(b). 
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act $30,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2010 
through 2014. 
Passed the House of Representatives June 9, 2009. 
Attest: 
LORRAINE C. MILLER, 
Clerk. 
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