I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4194 
To require the Attorney General to make competitive grants to State, tribal, 
and local governments to establish and maintain witness protection and 
assistance programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 9, 2015 
Mr. CUMMINGS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To require the Attorney General to make competitive grants 
to State, tribal, and local governments to establish and 
maintain witness protection and assistance programs. 
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 ‘‘Witness Security and 
Protection Grant Program Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. WITNESS PROTECTION GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
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(1) the term ‘‘applicant’’ means a State, tribal, 
or local government that applies for a grant under 
this section; and 
(2) the terms ‘‘serious drug offense’’ and ‘‘seri-
ous violent felony’’ have the meaning given those 
terms in section 3559(c)(2) of title 18, United 
States Code. 
(b) GRANTS REQUIRED.—Subject to subsection (j), 
the Attorney General shall make competitive grants to 
State, tribal, and local governments to establish or main-
tain programs that provide protection or assistance to wit-
nesses 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 in-
frastructure to support programs that provide pro-
tection 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. 
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(4) The number of homicides per capita com-
mitted in the jurisdiction of the applicant. 
(5) The number of serious violent felonies or se-
rious drug offenses per capita committed in the ju-
risdiction 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 Gen-
eral 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 as-
sistance 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 re-
port, in such form and manner and containing such 
information as specified by the Attorney General, 
that evaluates each program established or main-
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tained 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 re-
location; 
(C) financial and housing assistance; and 
(D) any other services related to witness 
protection or assistance that the Attorney Gen-
eral determines necessary. 
(3) DISSEMINATION
TO
STATES.—Not later 
than 1 year after developing best practice models 
under paragraph (2), the Attorney General shall dis-
seminate the models to State, tribal, and local gov-
ernments. 
(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, im-
prove, and develop witness protection or witness as-
sistance programs as appropriate. 
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(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 deter-
mines— 
(A) is law enforcement sensitive and 
should only be disclosed within the law enforce-
ment 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 per-
cent. 
(2) IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), the non-Federal share for a program 
carried out using a grant made under this sec-
tion 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 
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this section may be in the form of in-kind con-
tributions. 
(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, en-
sure an equitable geographical distribution through-
out the United States of programs that provide pro-
tection 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 infor-
mation 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). 
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(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. 
Æ 
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