Commerce, Justice, Science, And Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Floor Speech

Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Chair, I wholeheartedly support Commerce-Justice-Science Subcommittee Chairman Mollohan's bipartisan amendment to restore $100 million to the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), to meet the Fiscal Year 2009 level of $400 million.

I greatly appreciate my good friend, ALAN MOLLOHAN, and his staff's recognition of the importance of this program by rejecting the President's proposal to eliminate SCAAP.

Counties across the country depend on SCAAP for reimbursement of the costs associated with the detention and incarceration of criminal aliens.

Keep in mind, local law enforcement only receive a partial reimbursement through SCAAP. For example, in my district, Riverside County received reimbursement for only 17% of the cost of incarcerating criminal aliens in Fiscal Years 08-09. And out of Orange County's 65,000 inmates booked each year at the county jails, approximately 19% are criminal aliens.

Although illegal immigration is clearly the federal government's responsibility, counties incur millions of dollars in unreimbursed expenses each year as a result of housing criminal aliens.

During difficult economic times, local governments are struggling to pay for budgeted programs and additional demands for services are straining the system to the breaking point--unreimbursed expenses simply cannot go unmet.

This amendment will help the many communities across the nation burdened with the costs of our federal government's failed responsibility to secure our nation's borders.

I urge my colleagues to accept the amendment.

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