Safer Streets Act of 2023

Bill: 118-hr-320
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9]
Introduced: 2023-01-12
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Community life and organization

Crime prevention

Law enforcement administration and funding

Law enforcement officers

Violent crime
Latest action: action_date: 2023-01-12
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-01-12
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong></strong><b>Safer Streets Act of 2023</b></p> <p>This bill directs the Department of Justice to award grants to units of local governments and neighborhood or community-based organizations in jurisdictions with high rates of violent crime. Grants may be used to support law enforcement purposes or community violence prevention purposes, such as hiring additional officers, acquiring surveillance equipment, and promoting prevention programs. </p>

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 320 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 12, 2023 Mr. Cohen 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 establish a grant program for jurisdictions with high rates of violent crime.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Safer Streets Act of 2023 . 2. Grant program Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 34 U.S.C. 10101 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: NN Grants for jurisdictions with high rates of violent crime 3201. In general The Attorney General shall, each fiscal year, make grants to eligible units of local government and neighborhood or community-based organizations. 3202. Eligibility and incentives To be eligible for a grant under this part, a unit of local government or a neighborhood or community-based organization operating in a covered jurisdiction shall submit to the Attorney General information establishing that the rate of occurrence of violent crime within that jurisdiction is 2 times or more the national violent crime rate and that the population of that jurisdiction is 100,000 or more. Of any amounts made available for grants under this part for a fiscal year— (1) 50 percent of such amounts shall be for grants, of an equal amount to each covered jurisdiction, to eligible grantees for which such rate of occurrence is 4 times the national violent crime rate or higher; (2) 20 percent of such amounts shall be for grants, of an equal amount to each covered jurisdiction, to eligible grantees for which such rate of occurrence is 3 times the national violent crime rate or higher; (3) 10 percent of such amounts shall be for grants, of an equal amount to each covered jurisdiction, to all other eligible grantees; and (4) remaining amounts shall be for emergency grants to such eligible grantees as the Attorney General determines appropriate. The Attorney General shall be responsible for awarding funds between units of local government and neighborhood or community-based organizations pursuant to each paragraph of this section. 3203. Administrative costs Not more than 10 percent of a grant made under this part may be used for costs incurred to administer such grant. 3204. Use of funds Amounts made available as a grant under this part may be used by a grantee for law enforcement purposes or community violence prevention purposes including— (1) hiring additional law enforcement officers; (2) investing in surveillance equipment; and (3) prevention programs. 3205. Emergency assistance Any unit of local government or neighborhood or community-based organization in a covered jurisdiction that experiences, for a fiscal year, an increase of 10 percent in the rate of occurrence in violent crime over the preceding fiscal year, shall be eligible for an additional amount equal to 10 percent of the amount otherwise available under this part. 3206. Definition The term violent crime has the meaning given that term by the Attorney General for purposes of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, for the fiscal year during which the grants are made. .