Title: Real Justice for Our Veterans Act of 2021
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Real Justice for Our Veterans Act of 2021
This bill expands data collection on the effectiveness of veteran treatment court programs, incentivizes local governments to improve retention rates in veteran treatment court programs and drug courts, and expands options for veterans to participate in drug courts.
First, the bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to report on the effectiveness of veteran treatment court programs. The report must assess the population served by the programs, whether the programs use evidence-based treatments, the recidivism rates of participants, and program completion rates.
Second, the bill requires DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance to implement a pilot program (1) to provide training and technical assistance to state and local conviction review entities, and (2) to make grants for local governments to improve retention in veteran treatment court programs and drug courts.
Finally, this bill allows a veteran (including a veteran who is a violent offender) to participate in a drug court program instead of a veteran treatment court program if a jurisdiction does not operate a veteran treatment court program.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4035 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4035

  To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
 prioritize veterans court treatment programs that ensure equal access 
  for racial and ethnic minorities and women, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 22, 2021

 Ms. Jackson Lee (for herself and Mr. Nadler) introduced the following 
       bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
 prioritize veterans court treatment programs that ensure equal access 
  for racial and ethnic minorities and women, 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 ``Real Justice for Our Veterans Act of 
2021''.

SEC. 2. EQUAL ACCESS TO VETERANS COURT TREATMENT PROGRAMS FOR RACIAL 
              AND ETHNIC MINORITIES AND WOMEN.

    Section 2991(i)(2) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 
Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10651(i)(2)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) in clause (ii), by striking ``and'' at the end;
                    (B) in clause (iii), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(iv) include a description of a proposal 
                        to implement a process to ensure that racial 
                        and ethnic minorities and women have equal 
                        access to the program, and an equal opportunity 
                        to complete the program, including by 
                        collecting and analyzing data related to 
                        admission in the program and completion of the 
                        program, to ensure there are not disparities 
                        related to race, ethnicity, or sex.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(C) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the 
                date of enactment of this subparagraph, the Attorney 
                General shall submit to Congress a report on the 
                effectiveness of veterans treatment court programs. In 
                preparing such report, the Attorney General shall 
                conduct a national multi-site evaluation of such 
                programs, including an assessment of--
                            ``(i) the population served by such 
                        programs;
                            ``(ii) whether such programs use evidence-
                        based treatments for substance use and mental 
                        health, including medication for addiction 
                        treatment;
                            ``(iii) recidivism rates of participants in 
                        such programs; and
                            ``(iv) program completion rates.''.

SEC. 3. VETERANS PILOT PROGRAM ON PROMISING RETENTION MODELS.

    (a) Establishment.--The Attorney General, acting through the 
Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, shall carry out a pilot 
program--
            (1) to provide training and technical support to local and 
        State conviction review entities; and
            (2) to make grants to eligible units of local government to 
        improve retention in a veterans treatment court program (as 
        such term is defined in section 2991 of the Omnibus Crime 
        Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10651)) and 
        drug courts.
    (b) Eligibility.--In order to be eligible for a grant under 
subsection (a)(2), a unit of local government shall operate a veterans 
treatment court program or a drug court.
    (c) Application.--A unit of local government seeking a grant 
through the pilot program under subsection (a)(2) shall submit to the 
Attorney General an application at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Attorney General may reasonably 
require, and shall contain, including--
            (1) a description of the therapy model that they plan to 
        implement and data to support the use of the therapy model, 
        including information showing how the therapy will promote 
        retention in and completion of veterans treatment court 
        programs; and
            (2) detailed plans on how the applicant would test the 
        efficacy of the therapy program.
    (d) Reporting Metrics.--Not later than 180 days after receiving a 
grant under subsection (a)(2), a unit of local government shall submit 
to the Attorney General a report, which includes demographic 
information of participants in the veterans treatment court program and 
completion rates of such participants. The Attorney General shall 
develop guidelines for the report required under this subsection.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2027 to 
carry out this section.

SEC. 4. ADMISSION OF VETERANS TO DRUG COURTS.

    In the case of a jurisdiction that does not operate a veterans 
treatment court program (as such term is defined in section 2991 of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10651)), 
but that does operate a drug court under part EE of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10611 et seq.), a 
veteran who would be eligible to participate in a veterans treatment 
court program may participate in the drug court, including a veteran 
who is a violent offender (as such term is defined in section 2953(a) 
of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
10613(a))).
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