Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for Fiscal Year 2006--Conference Report--Resumed

DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE AND JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006--CONFERENCE REPORT--Resumed

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the conference report to accompany H.R. 2862, the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act. While I will be voting for this conference report, I have grave concerns regarding the cuts in the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants Program.

The Byrne/JAG program is the primary Federal assistance program for State and local law enforcement's counter-drug activities. This program is critical to fighting the domestic war on drugs. In my State of Iowa, this grant program funds highly successful drug task forces. I fear that without these grants, many of these task forces will disappear and the threat from methamphetamine will only grow larger.

I have a letter from Sheriff Thomas Faust, the executive director of the National Sheriff's Association. His letter raises many of the concerns I have already highlighted with regard to the JAG program. Sheriff Faust's letter warns that, ``Cuts of this magnitude seriously inhibit law enforcement's abilities and endanger the safety and well being of our communities! In order to keep communities safe from crime and free of drugs, law enforcement must be given the resources they need! The fiscal year 2006 CJS appropriations bill does not provide for those resources.''

While I have fears that these cuts in the JAG program will have grave results, because the conference report funds other critical programs, I will vote in support of the conference report.

I ask unanimous consent to print the above-referenced letter in the RECORD.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

NATIONAL SHERIFFS' ASSOCIATION,

Alexandria, VA, November 15, 2005.

DEAR SENATOR: On behalf of the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) and our 23,000 members, I am writing to express our extreme disappointment and concern over the lack of funding for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants Program (JAG) in H.R. 2862, the Science, State, Justice, Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.

The JAG program, which was formed by consolidating the Edward Byrne Memorial Grant program and the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant program, is one of the primary federal assistance programs for state, tribal and local law enforcement agencies. State and local law enforcement agencies, including the 3,087 sheriffs' offices across the country, rely heavily on JAG funds for critical operational activities. JAG funds support many of our counter-drug activities, particularly drug task forces. Without these funds, our sheriffs will not be able to sustain the task forces or even fight the war on drugs!

Local law enforcement agencies from all across the country are already out-manned and out-gunned by the drug cartels and street gangs in our communities. Over the last several years we have been forced to deal with the loss of personnel, because of budget cuts to the COPS program. Now the COPS Universal Hiring Program has been zeroed out by Congress, thus abandoning an effective program, and the JAG Funds are being cut as well. These cuts will put an end to any progress that has been made and destroy any hope we might have of winning the war on drugs or ridding our communities of methamphetamine!

For more than a decade, the resources provided under the JAG program have allowed law enforcement agencies to expand their capabilities and make great strides in reducing the incidence of crime in communities across the nation. It is our belief that the lack of federal support for local law enforcement will surely result in increased crime and drug abuse!

The conference agreement would provide just $416 million for the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants, of which only $321 million is available for local law enforcement assistance. We find this level of funding to be unacceptable and believe that Congress is failing to adequately recognize the mission of law enforcement!

Cuts of this magnitude seriously inhibit law enforcement's abilities and endanger the safety and well being of our communities! In order to keep communities safe from crime and free of drugs, law enforcement agencies must be given the resources they need! The FY06 SSJC appropriations bill does not provide for those resources.

At a time where law enforcement and securing the homeland should be of the highest priority, Congress has chosen to completely dismiss them as a priority! With the rise of terrorism, and the fact that methamphetamine use and abuse has risen to epidemic proportions, Congress should embrace law enforcement, support the JAG program and COPS Hiring Program, and increase their funding, not cut their funding!

Sincerely,
THOMAS N. FAUST,

Executive Director &
Retired Sheriff, Arlington County, VA.

http://thomas.loc.gov/