Fighting Gangs and Empowering Youth Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-990
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2007-03-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Adult education
Authorization
Community policing
Community-based corrections
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Counseling
Crime prevention
Criminal statistics
Drug abuse
Drug abuse treatment
Drug traffic
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Evaluation research (Social action programs)
Ex-offenders
Families
Federal aid to housing
Federal aid to law enforcement
Firearms
Gangs
Government Operations and Politics
Governmental investigations
Higher education
Housing and Community Development
Income tax
Juvenile delinquency
Labor and Employment
Law
Limitation of actions
Literacy programs
Low-income housing
Mentoring
Murder
National service
Nonprofit organizations
Organized crime
Parent and child
Parole
Performance measurement
Police
Police training
Prisoners
Prosecution
Public housing
Recidivists
Recruiting of employees
Rehabilitation of criminals
School-age child care
Sentences (Criminal procedure)
Sentencing guidelines
Social Welfare
Student loan funds
Surveys
Tax credits
Taxation
U.S. Sentencing Commission
Victims of crimes
Violence
Witnesses
Youth violence

Summary:
action_date: 2007-03-26
text: 
Fighting Gangs and Empowering Youth Act of 2007 - Reauthorizes programs for combating criminal gangs, including after-school programs, programs for safe and drug-free schools and communities, gang resistance education and training programs, and adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry demonstration projects.

Establishes or increases funding for criminal gang-related programs, including: (1) demonstration grants to public and private entities for innovative approaches to combat gang activity; (2) programs that target certain at-risk youth and juvenile offenders ages 11 to 19; (3) state studies of parole or post-incarceration supervision violations and revocations; (4) substance abuse treatment; (5) mentoring grants to nonprofit organizations; (6) transition training for incarcerated youth offenders; (7) gang activity policing grants; (8) grants to prosecutors and law enforcement officials to combat violent crime and protect witnesses; and (9) the National Youth Gang Survey.

Public and Assisted Housing Gang Elimination Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants to public housing agencies and private, for-profit and nonprofit owners of federally assisted low-income housing for use in eliminating gang-related crime.

Authorizes the Attorney General to: (1) designate and provide assistance to high-intensity gang activity areas; and (2) expand the Project Safe Neighborhoods program to require U.S. attorneys to identify and prosecute criminal street gangs in their respective districts.

Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) expand the definition of &quot;criminal street gang&quot;; (2) prohibit the recruitment or solicitation of persons to participate in a criminal street gang; (3) impose enhanced penalties for committing violent crimes in furtherance or in aid of a criminal street gang and for use of firearms by felons with multiple felony convictions for violent crimes and drug offenses; (4) increase penalties for use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire or other felony crimes of violence; and (5) increase penalties for violent crimes in aid of racketeering activities.

Extends the limitation period for prosecuting certain noncapital violent crimes. 

Requires the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and revise guidelines relating to violent gang-related crimes.

Provides for certain studies and reports relating to criminal gangs, including reports distinguishing criminal offenses committed by juveniles.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-03-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2007-03-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3757-3758)
action_date: 2007-03-26
text: Introduced in Senate