Opposition to H.R. 4660, The FY15 Commerce Justice Science Appropriations Bill

Floor Speech

Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in reluctant opposition to H.R. 4066, the Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2015.

I commend Chairman WOLF and Ranking Member FATTAH for their dedicated work on crafting this legislation. However, I cannot vote for it in its current form. While I can support the overall $51.2 billion in discretionary spending, a number of specific programs were shortchanged. For example, the bill cuts important investments in key areas such as law enforcement, access to justice for the poor, and climate research. In addition, a number of pernicious policy riders were added on the House floor which poisons the overall bill.

With respect to funding levels, I have serious concerns about cuts that were made to a number of programs within the Department of Justice. This bill cuts the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program by $117.5 million from FY14 and is $177.5 million below the Presidents' request. And while an amendment was adopted to increase funding for COPS by $110 million on the House floor this came at the direct expense of the Census Bureau, which was already funded below the Administration's request. This is a false choice that is both unnecessary and arbitrary.
I also oppose reductions in funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which is the single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans, including many military families and veterans. This bill would reduce funding for LSC by $15 million in FY15 and would be $80 million below the President's request. Over 1,000 full time employees have been terminated as a result of cuts to LSC in recent years and a continued lack of funding will result in tens of thousands of Americans being denied vital legal assistance.

I am also disappointed in the arbitrary and short-sighted cuts to climate research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that will limit our understanding of mid-term weather forecasting, including drought. These damaging cuts will hinder our ability to understand and respond to changing weather patterns across the country.

I also strongly object to many of the policy riders that were included in the final passage of H.R. 4066. I was disappointed that an amendment offered by Rep. MORAN to strike sections 528 and 529 was not adopted, leaving in place the misguided provision to continue funding restrictions on the construction or modification of detention facilities in the United States to house Guantanamo detainees. As the President made clear in his State of the Union Address earlier this year, we cannot wait any longer to lift the remaining restrictions on detainee transfers and close down this facility once-and-for-all.

The legislation also includes language that severely limits the ability of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to combat illegal gun trafficking. Specifically, the ATF is prohibited from denying an application to import particular models or configurations of a shotgun that do not meet the statutory ``sporting purposes'' test.

There were also many amendments adopted on the House floor that I strongly opposed. An amendment introduced by Rep. SCOTT GARRETT would prohibit funds from being used by the Justice Department to pursue litigation using the ``disparate impact'' legal theory. This not only flies in the face of the Civil Rights Act but would prohibit the Justice Department from getting involved in litigation where whole classifications of individuals are being systematically discriminated against.
I was also disappointed that an amendment passed on the House floor that would not allow for funds to be used to transfer or assign employees to the Pardon Attorney's office for the purpose of screening clemency applications. This severely undermines the Justice Department's efforts to scale back prison sentences for individuals incarcerated for non-violent drug offenses. Another ill-conceived amendment offered by Representative STEVE KING would handcuff Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by limiting its use of prosecutorial discretion.
Despite my opposition to the overall legislation, I was encouraged that a bipartisan amendment led by Rep. MIKE THOMPSON and Rep. PETER KING to lift funding for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was adopted. This increased funding matches the level of funding requested by states for NICS grants in FY14 and will ensure that Maryland has the necessary resources to implement the technology to automate criminal history and mental health records in our background check system.

In addition, I supported the funding levels of many other programs and priorities. Within the Department of Justice, I was encouraged that Violence Against Women Prevention and Prosecution programs, Byrne-JAG formula grants, and the Youth Mentoring program all received funding at or above the President's request.
I will continue to monitor the progress of this bill and it is my hope that my concerns are resolved in conference with the Senate and I will be able to vote for it in its final form.

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