42 U.S.C. § 3797m (THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE)
§ 3797m. Use of grants
(a) In general
A State or unit of local government that receives a grant under this subchapter shall use the grant to do any one or more of the following:
(1) To carry out all or a substantial part of a program intended to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science or medical examiner services in the State, including such services provided by the laboratories operated by the State and those operated by units of local government within the State.
(2) To eliminate a backlog in the analysis of forensic science evidence, including firearms examination, latent prints, impression evidence, toxicology, digital evidence, fire evidence, controlled substances, forensic pathology, questionable documents, and trace evidence.
(3) To train, assist, and employ forensic laboratory personnel and medicolegal death investigators, as needed, to eliminate such a backlog.
(4) To address emerging forensic science issues (such as statistics, contextual bias, and uncertainty of measurement) and emerging forensic science technology (such as high throughput automation, statistical software, and new types of instrumentation).
(5) To educate and train forensic pathologists.
(6) To fund medicolegal death investigation systems to facilitate accreditation of medical examiner and coroner offices and certification of medicolegal death investigators.
(b) Permitted categories of funding
Subject to subsections (c) and (d) of this section, a grant awarded for the purpose set forth in subsection (a)(1) of this section—
(1) may only be used for program expenses relating to facilities, personnel, computerization, equipment, supplies, accreditation and certification, education, and training; and
(2) may not be used for any general law enforcement or nonforensic investigatory function.
(c) Facilities costs
(1) States receiving minimum grant amount
With respect to a State that receives a grant under this subchapter (including grants received by units of local government within a State) in an amount that does not exceed 0.6 percent of the total amount made available to carry out this subchapter for a fiscal year, not more than 80 percent of the total amount of the grant may be used for the costs of any new facility constructed as part of a program described in subsection (a) of this section.
(2) Other States
With respect to a State that receives a grant under this subchapter in an amount that exceeds 0.6 percent of the total amount made available to carry out this subchapter for a fiscal year—
(A) not more than 80 percent of the amount of the grant up to that 0.6 percent may be used for the costs of any new facility constructed as part of a program described in subsection (a) of this section; and
(B) not more than 40 percent of the amount of the grant in excess of that 0.6 percent may be used for the costs of any new facility constructed as part of a program described in subsection (a) of this section.
(d) Administrative costs
Not more than 10 percent of the total amount of a grant awarded under this subchapter may be used for administrative expenses.
(e) Backlog defined
For purposes of this section, a backlog in the analysis of forensic science evidence exists if such evidence—
(1) has been stored in a laboratory, medical examiner’s office, coroner’s office, law enforcement storage facility, or medical facility; and
(2) has not been subjected to all appropriate forensic testing because of a lack of resources or personnel.
(Pub. L. 90–351, title I, § 2804, as added Pub. L. 106–561, § 2(c)(1), Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2789; amended Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title V, § 5001(b)(4), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1814; Pub. L. 108–405, title III, § 311(a), Oct. 30, 2004, 118 Stat. 2276; Pub. L. 114–324, § 9(a)(3), Dec. 16, 2016, 130 Stat. 1955.)
heading: Amendments
text: 2016—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 114–324, § 9(a)(3)(A), inserted “impression evidence,” after “latent prints,” and “digital evidence, fire evidence,” after “toxicology,”.
Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 114–324, § 9(a)(3)(B), inserted “and medicolegal death investigators” after “laboratory personnel”.
Subsec. (a)(4) to (6). Pub. L. 114–324, § 9(a)(3)(C), added pars. (4) to (6).
2004—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 108–405, § 311(a)(1), substituted “shall use the grant to do any one or more of the following:
“(1) To carry out”
for “shall use the grant to carry out” and added pars. (2) and (3).
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 108–405, § 311(a)(2), substituted “for the purpose set forth in subsection (a)(1) of this section” for “under this subchapter” in introductory provisions.
Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 108–405, § 311(a)(3), added subsec. (e).
2002—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 107–273, § 5001(b)(4)(A), inserted “or unit of local government” after “A State”.
Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 107–273, § 5001(b)(4)(B), inserted “(including grants received by units of local government within a State)” after “under this subchapter”.