Title: Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program Authorization Act of 2018
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program Authorization Act of 2017
This bill establishes the Project Safe Neighborhoods Block Grant Program within the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs to foster and improve existing partnerships to create safer neighborhoods through sustained reductions in crimes committed by criminal street gangs and transnational organized crime groups.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3249 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Project Safe Neighborhoods 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;
            (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 member 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 offense under 
        section 922 or 924 of title 18, United States Code.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT.

    The Attorney General of the United States is authorized to 
establish and carry out a program, to be known as the ``Project Safe 
Neighborhoods Block Grant Program'' 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 partnerships between Federal, 
State, and local agencies, including the United States Attorney in each 
Federal judicial district, to create safer neighborhoods through 
sustained 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 Program 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 controlled 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 offenses, human trafficking, 
trafficking and distribution of illegal opioids and heroin, and other 
crimes.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated for the Program under this 
Act $70,000,000 annually for fiscal years 2018 through 2022.
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