[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4403 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4403

   To establish an Office of Science and Technology in the Office of 
             Justice Programs of the Department of Justice.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 9, 2000

  Mr. Boehlert (for himself and Mr. Stupak) introduced the following 
       bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish an Office of Science and Technology in the Office of 
             Justice Programs of the Department of Justice.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Law Enforcement Science and 
Technology Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE; DIRECTOR.

    (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established in the Department 
of Justice under the Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice 
Programs, an Office of Science and Technology (hereinafter in this Act 
referred to as the ``Office'').
    (b) Transfer of Functions and Employees.--The Office of Science and 
Technology of the National Institute of Justice is hereby abolished, 
and the functions and employees of such office shall be transferred to 
the Office established under subsection (a).
    (c) Director.--The Office shall be headed by a director appointed 
from the career Senior Executive Service, who shall initially be paid 
at the same rate of compensation applicable to the Director of the 
Office of Science and Technology of the National Institute of Justice 
on the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. MISSION OF OFFICE; DUTIES.

    (a) Mission.--The mission of the Office shall be--
            (1) to serve as the national focal point for work on law 
        enforcement technology; and
            (2) to carry out programs to improve the safety and 
        effectiveness of, and access to, technology to assist Federal, 
        State, and local law enforcement agencies.
    (b) Duties.--In carrying out its mission, the Office shall--
            (1) provide recommendations and advice to the Attorney 
        General;
            (2) establish advisory groups (which shall be exempt from 
        the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 
        App.)) to assess the technology needs of Federal, State, and 
        local law enforcement agencies;
            (3) establish technical and use standards for, and test and 
        evaluate technologies that may be used by, Federal, State, and 
        local law enforcement agencies;
            (4) establish a program to certify, validate, and mark, or 
        otherwise recognize, products that conform to standards set by 
        the Office;
            (5) work with other Federal agencies to establish a 
        coordinated Federal approach to issues related to law 
        enforcement technology;
            (6) conduct research and development in fields that would 
        improve the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of 
        technologies used by Federal, State, and local law enforcement 
        agencies, including--
                    (A) weapons capable of preventing use by 
                unauthorized persons, including personalized guns;
                    (B) protective apparel;
                    (C) bullet-resistant and explosion-resistant glass;
                    (D) monitoring systems and alarm systems capable of 
                providing precise location information;
                    (E) wire and wireless interoperable communication 
                technologies;
                    (F) tools and techniques that facilitate forensic 
                work;
                    (G) equipment for particular use in 
                counterterrorism, including devices and technologies to 
                disable terrorist devices;
                    (H) guides to assist State and local law 
                enforcement agencies;
                    (I) DNA identification technologies; and
                    (J) tools and techniques that facilitate 
                investigations of computer crime.
            (7) administer a program of research, development, testing 
        and demonstration to improve the interoperability of voice and 
        data public safety communications;
            (8) serve on the Technical Support Working Group of the 
        Department of Defense, and on other relevant interagency 
        panels, as requested;
            (9) develop and disseminate technical assistance and 
        training materials to local law enforcement agencies, including 
        assistance combating computer crime;
            (10) operate the regional National Law Enforcement and 
        Corrections Technology Centers and, through a competitive 
        process, establish additional centers;
            (11) support research fellowships in support of its 
        mission;
            (12) serve as a clearinghouse for information on law 
        enforcement technologies;
            (13) represent the United States and State and local law 
        enforcement agencies, as requested, in international activities 
        concerning law enforcement technology;
            (14) enter into contracts and cooperative agreements and 
        provide grants, which may require in-kind or cash matches from 
        the recipient, as necessary to carry out its mission; and
            (15) carry out other duties assigned by the Attorney 
        General to accomplish the mission of the Office.
    (d) Coordination With Federal Agencies.--Federal agencies shall, 
upon request from the Office and in accordance with Federal law, 
provide the Office with any data, reports, or other information 
requested, unless compliance with such request is otherwise prohibited 
by law.
    (e) Publications.--Decisions concerning publications issued by the 
Office shall rest solely with the Director of the Office.
    (f) Transfer of Funds.--The Office may transfer funds to other 
Federal agencies or provide funding to non-Federal entities through 
grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts to carry out its duties 
under this section.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Amounts.--In each of fiscal years 2000 through 2005, there are 
authorized to be appropriated for the Office $200,000,000.
    (b) Set-Asides.--Of the amounts appropriated for the Office in each 
of fiscal years 2000 through 2005--
            (1) $40,000,000 shall only be available for the regional 
        National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Centers;
            (2) $60,000,000 shall only be available for research and 
        development of forensic technologies and methods to improve 
        crime laboratories;
            (3) $20,000,000 shall only be available for development of 
        standards and for the testing and evaluation of technologies;
            (4) $10,000,000 shall only be available for salaries and 
        expenses; and
            (5) not more than 5 percent of funds appropriated for the 
        Office shall be available for expenditure under the provisions 
        enacted in the Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970 (Public 
        Law 91-648; 84 Stat. 1909) and the Systems Engineering and 
        Technical Assistance program.
    (c) Non-Federal Research.--(1) Of the funds available to the Office 
in any fiscal year for research and development, 75 percent shall be 
available only for non-Federal entities through a competitive process. 
Continuing funding through competitive awards made in prior years shall 
apply toward such amount.
    (2) Of the funds expended by the Office in any fiscal year for 
testing and evaluation, 75 percent shall be made available to non-
Federal entities through a competitive process. Continuing funding 
through competitive awards made in prior years shall apply toward such 
amount.
    (d) Reductions.--If, in any of fiscal years 2001 through 2005, an 
amount less than $200,000,000 is appropriated for the Office, the 
amounts in subsection (b)(1), (2), and (3) shall be reduced in 
proportion to the amount appropriated.

SEC. 5. ANNUAL REPORT.

    Not later than February 1 of each year, the Director of the Office 
shall submit to the President and Congress a report on the state of law 
enforcement technology.

SEC. 6. DEFINITION.

    For the purposes of this Act, the term ``law enforcement 
technology'' includes investigative and forensic technologies, 
corrections technologies, and technologies that support the judicial 
process.
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