NAPO Continues Fight to Restore Vital Byrne-JAG Funding

Despite Congress’s failure to provide sufficient funding for the Byrne-JAG program for fiscal 2008, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security marked up a bill that will reauthorize the Byrne-JAG program at $1.1 billion annually through fiscal 2012. On May 22, the Subcommittee approved H.R. 3546, the House companion bill to S. 231, which the Senate passed in May of last year.

By reauthorizing the program, Congress is rejecting the administration’s attempt to zero out the Byrne-JAG grants. While NAPO appreciates lawmakers’ endorsement of this vital state and local law enforcement grant program, the act of authorization without appropriation amounts to little more than appeasement. NAPO strongly believes that Congress would better show its support for our nation’s law enforcement by restoring necessary funding to Byrne-JAG in fiscal 2008, followed by fully funding it at the authorized level of $1.1 billion in fiscal 2009.

Since January, NAPO has made a concerted effort to work with lawmakers to restore the funding cut from the Byrne-JAG program in the fiscal 2008 appropriations measure. NAPO focused on the emergency war supplemental as the best vehicle to add funding back to the program. NAPO took a step toward achieving that goal when the Senate voted by an overwhelming margin of 75-22 to include $490 million in additional funding for the Byrne-JAG program in the emergency supplemental.

The House is expected to take up the bill before Congress adjourns for the July 4 recess; however, they are expected to take up a scaled back version which does not include the Byrne-JAG funding. The House leadership cut the Byrne-JAG funding from the bill when the President reissued his threat to veto the bill if it included more then the funding he requested for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite NAPO’s efforts and the strong bipartisan support we have garnered for including the Byrne-JAG funding as part of the supplemental bill, House Democratic leadership is standing firm in its position so they are not seen as being responsible for holding up funding for our troops.

As the Byrne-JAG program is the only comprehensive federal crime-fighting program, NAPO is exceedingly concerned about the consequences that America’s law enforcement will face when it runs out of funding, which is expected to happen by mid-July. This important program funds state and local law enforcement, including multi-jurisdictional drug and gang task forces, information sharing and technology, county jails, prosecutors, drug courts, juvenile delinquency and drug treatment programs. In fact, it is the only source of federal funding for multi-jurisdictional task forces and prosecutors.

The $170 million appropriated by Congress for fiscal year 2008 is insufficient to meet the growing needs of our nation’s law enforcement. This deep cut in funding has already resulted in the closing of drug and gang task forces in California, Nevada, and Texas and throughout the Mid-West, at a time when those forces were making tremendous strides in the fight against crime. States and municipalities are being forced to contemplate laying-off law enforcement officers because of tightened budgets due to the lack of Byrne-JAG money. Additionally, cold case units, identity theft investigations, school violence prevention programs, and victim and witness protection services are all now feeling the strain of this cut.

The lack of funding for the program is starting to dismantle the progress that law enforcement has made in the fight against crime. Emergency funding for this vital program for fiscal 2008 is necessary to help law enforcement sustain and build upon the tremendous strides they have made in keeping our communities safe.

NAPO continues to work with Congress and the Administration to find a way to provide necessary additional funding for the Byrne-JAG program and support America’s law enforcement as our first line of defense against drugs, crime and terrorism.