[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3579 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3579

 To increase community capacity and commitment to promote and support 
  local comprehensive strategies and traceable actions to prevent and 
    reduce crime, violence, and substance abuse through prevention, 
 education, treatment, law enforcement, and continuing care activities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 20, 2001

    Mr. Green of Wisconsin introduced the following bill; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To increase community capacity and commitment to promote and support 
  local comprehensive strategies and traceable actions to prevent and 
    reduce crime, violence, and substance abuse through prevention, 
 education, treatment, law enforcement, and continuing care activities.

    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 ``National Comprehensive Crime-Free 
Communities Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to encourage strategic data-driven planning that is 
        collaborative, involving multiple local organizations, and to 
        develop comprehensive, involving crosscutting crime, violence 
        and substance abuse prevention strategies;
            (2) to encourage the establishment of performance standards 
        and goals for crime prevention and crime reduction;
            (3) to establish program elements that are anchored in the 
        fundamental belief that crime prevention is everybody's 
        business;
            (4) to promote strategies that involve--
                    (A) grassroots communities in problem 
                identification and problem-solving;
                    (B) policymakers in order to provide leadership in 
                creating systemic or environmental change that will 
                promote community well being;
                    (C) State agencies in providing coordinated, 
                comprehensive, and innovative approaches to preventing 
                crime, violence, and drug abuse; and
                    (D) local leaders, experts, and representatives of 
                organizations in providing consultation on planning and 
                program outcomes;
            (5) to improve on previous initiatives that have focused 
        efforts on geographically defined areas in communities or 
        States (e.g., Weed and Seed and High Intensity Drug-Trafficking 
        Areas) and have been limited to a small number of enforcement 
        or intervention strategies by encouraging communities to focus 
        on prevention strategies that are jurisdiction-wide;
            (6) to promote efforts and programs that utilize 
        nontraditional and innovative crime prevention strategies that 
        address the causes of crimes as well as reducing the 
        opportunities for crime; and
            (7) to encourage the use of the best in comprehensive 
        prevention practice, policy, and strategies.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Attorney General Responsibilities.--In carrying out this Act, 
the Attorney General shall--
            (1) make and monitor grants to grant recipients;
            (2) provide through the offices of the National Crime 
        Prevention Council technical assistance and training, data 
        collection, and dissemination of information on state-of-the-
        art research-grounded practices that the Attorney General 
        determines to be effective in preventing and reducing crime, 
        violence, and drug abuse;
            (3) provide for the general administration of programs 
        authorized by this Act;
            (4) provide for the evaluation of this Act and assess the 
        effectiveness of comprehensive planning in the prevention of 
        crime, violence, and drug abuse;
            (5) provide for a comprehensive communications strategy to 
        inform the public as well as State and local governments of 
        programs authorized by this Act and their purpose and intent;
            (6) coordinate with other Federal agencies involved in 
        crime and drug prevention programming and utilize research or 
        effective programs, principles, and prevention practices;
            (7) establish a National Crime-Free Communities Commission 
        to advise, consult with, and make recommendations to the 
        Attorney General concerning activities carried out under this 
        Act;
            (8) establish the National Center for Justice Planning in a 
        national organization representing state criminal justice 
        executives that will:
                    (A) provide technical assistance and training to 
                state criminal justice agencies in implementing 
                policies and programs to facilitate community-based 
                strategic planning processes;
                    (B) establish a resource collection of best 
                practices for state-wide community-based criminal 
                justice planning; and
                    (C) consult with the National Crime Prevention 
                Council in providing states training in comprehensive 
                strategic planning.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $5,000,000 to the Attorney General for the fiscal years 
2002 through 2006 as follows:
            (1) $4,500,000 will be for the National Crime Prevention 
        Council to assist states and communities in providing training, 
        technical assistance, and setting benchmarks; and
            (2) $500,000 will be for the establishment and operation of 
        the National Center for Justice Planning.
    (c) Program Administration.--Up to three percent of program funds 
appropriated for Community Grants in section (6) and State Capacity 
Building grants in section (7) may be used by the Attorney General to 
administer this program.

SEC. 4. FOCUS.

    Programs carried out by States and local communities under this Act 
shall include a specialized focus on neighborhoods and schools 
disproportionately affected by crime, violence, and drug abuse.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Collaboration.--The term ``collaboration'' is the joint 
        planning of policies by organizations inclusive of multiple 
        sectors, in the development and implementation of comprehensive 
        solutions to crime, violence, and substance abuse.
            (2) Community.--The term ``community'' means any urban or 
        rural area that possesses 1 or more governmental jurisdictions 
        that can develop collaborations for the purposes of preventing 
        and reducing crime, violence, and substance abuse.
            (3) Comprehensive.--The term ``comprehensive'' means a 
        continuum of policies and strategies that are crosscutting and 
        shall include the activities of prevention, education, 
        treatment, law enforcement, and after-care.
            (4) Crime prevention plan.--The term ``crime prevention 
        plan'' means a strategy that has measurable long-term goals and 
        short-term objectives that--
                    (A) addresses the problems of crime, violence, and 
                substance abuse for a jurisdiction, which may include 
                the problems of terrorism, developed through an 
                interactive and collaborative process that includes 
                senior representatives of law enforcement and the local 
                chief executive's office as well as representatives of 
                such groups as other agencies of local government 
                (including physical and social service providers), 
                nonprofit organizations, business leaders, religious 
                leaders, citizens leaders, and representatives of 
                community and neighborhood groups,
                    (B) establishes interim and final benchmark 
                measures for each prevention objective and strategy, 
                and
                    (C) includes a monitoring and assessment mechanism 
                for implementation of the plan.
            (5) Prevention.--The term ``prevention'' means programs, 
        practices, and strategies affecting attitudes and behaviors and 
        directed at reducing crime and enhancing the sense of safety 
        and security, to positively influence the quality of life in 
        our society, and to help develop environments where crime 
        cannot flourish.
            (6) Terrorism.--The term ``terrorism'' in the context of a 
        Crime Prevention Plan refers to planning for the prevention of, 
        protection from, and response to a terrorist attack.
            (7) Special populations.--The term ``special populations'' 
        refers to representatives of any group or groups of minority or 
        Native American populations.
            (8) State.--For purposes of this Act, state is defined to 
        include each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia.

SEC. 6. COMMUNITY GRANTS.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--The Attorney General shall award grants to 
        at least 100 communities or the designee of a community [a 
        501(c)(3) organization] in an amount not to exceed $250,000 per 
        year for the planning, evaluation, and implementation of a 
        program designed to prevent and reduce crime, violence, and 
        substance abuse.
            (2) Limitation.--Of the amount of a grant awarded under 
        this section in any given year--
                    (A) not more than $125,000 may be used for the 
                planning or evaluation component of the program; and
                    (B) the balance of the funds shall be awarded as 
                the program implementation component required under 
                subsection (b) upon demonstration by the applicant that 
                the planning has been accomplished by the applicant 
                prior to the submission by that applicant of an 
                application for a grant under this section.
    (b) Use of Funds.--
            (1) Planning component.--
                    (A) In general.--A community grant awarded under 
                this section may be used by a community to develop 
                comprehensive planning processes.
                    (B) Availability.--A grant may be awarded under 
                this paragraph to a community during the first 2 years 
                of the funding of that community.
                    (C) Matching requirement.--The Federal share of a 
                grant under this paragraph shall not exceed--
                            (i) 0 percent in the first year; and
                            (ii) 80 percent in the second year.
            (2) Evaluation component.--
                    (A) In general.--A community grant awarded under 
                this section may be used by a community to support on-
                going evaluation of program planning and 
                implementation.
                    (B) Matching requirement.--The Federal share of a 
                grant under this paragraph shall not exceed 80 percent 
                during each funding year.
            (3) Program implementation component.--
                    (A) In general.--A community grant under this 
                section may be used by a community to support specific 
                programs or projects that are consistent with the local 
                Crime Prevention Plan.
                    (B) Availability.--A grant shall be awarded under 
                this paragraph to a community that has developed a 
                specific Crime Prevention Plan and program outline.
                    (C) Matching requirement.--The federal share of a 
                grant under this paragraph shall not exceed--
                            (i) 80 percent in the first year;
                            (ii) 60 percent in the second year;
                            (iii) 40 percent in the third year;
                            (iv) 20 percent in the fourth year; and
                            (v) 20 percent in the fifth year.
                    (D) Data set-aside.--A community may use up to 5 
                percent of the grant to assist it in collecting local 
                data related to the costs of crime, violence, and 
                substance abuse for purposes of supporting its Crime 
                Prevention Plan.
    (c) Application.--
            (1) In general.--An applicant for a community grant under 
        this section shall--
                    (A) submit to the Attorney General, a list of 
                collaborating agencies and organizations that 
                demonstrate the comprehensive and inclusive nature of 
                the application of the applicant;
                    (B) demonstrate how the planning and funding 
                collaboration systems of the applicant will prevent 
                crime, violence, and substance abuse;
                    (C) submit a program sustainability plan at the end 
                of the first year of the program of the applicant that 
                describes how the applicant will achieve program 
                sustainability following the fifth year of the program;
                    (D) certify for the program implementation 
                component required under subsection (b), that the 
                programs of the applicant are based on nationally 
                recognized research standards that have been tested in 
                local communities; and
                    (E) collaborate and obtain the approval and support 
                of the State agency designated by the Governor of that 
                State in the development of the comprehensive 
                prevention plan of the applicant.
            (2) Consideration.--The Attorney General may give 
        additional consideration in the grant review process to an 
        applicant with an officially designated Weed and Seed site 
        seeking to expand from a neighborhood to community-wide 
        strategies.
            (3) Rural communities.--The Attorney General shall give 
        additional consideration in the grant review process to an 
        applicant from a rural or frontier area.
    (d) Recipient Requirements.--A recipient of a grant under this 
section shall demonstrate the ability of that recipient to--
            (1) develop a local Crime-Free Communities Commission, a 
        broad-based, comprehensive collaboration of stakeholders, such 
        as local, State, and Federal criminal justice personnel, law 
        enforcement, schools, youth organizations, religious and other 
        community organizations, business and health care 
        professionals, parents, State, local, or tribal governmental 
        agencies, and other organizations;
            (2) collect and disseminate research and findings;
            (3) collect and report community demographic information 
        related to crime rates, violent crime, and substance abuse 
        patterns;
            (4) sustain program elements after 5 years of Federal 
        funding; and
            (5) include special populations.
    (e) Waivers for Matching Requirement.--A community with an 
officially designated Weed and Seed site may be provided a waiver by 
the Attorney General for all matching requirements under this section 
based on demonstrated financial hardship.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $25,000,000 to carry out this section for the fiscal years 
2002 through 2006.

SEC. 7. STATE CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--The Attorney General shall award grants to 
        each State criminal justice agency, Byrne agency, or other 
        agency as designated by the Governor of that State and approved 
        by the Attorney General of the United States, in an amount not 
        to exceed $400,000 per year to develop State capacity to assist 
        local communities in the prevention and reduction of crime, 
        violence, and substance abuse.
    (b) Use of Funds.--
            (1) A state capacity building grant shall be used to 
        develop a statewide strategic plan as defined in section (c) 
        below to prevent and reduce crime, violence, and substance 
        abuse;
            (2) A State may also use grants to modify or remove 
        regulatory or other barriers to integrate service delivery; 
        provide training and technical assistance to communities; and 
        promote innovation in the development of policies, 
        technologies, and programs to prevent and reduce crime; and
            (3) A State may use up to 5 percent of the grant to assist 
        grant recipients in collecting statewide data related to the 
        costs of crime, violence, and substance abuse for purposes of 
        supporting the statewide strategic plan.
    (c) Statewide Strategic Prevention Plan.--
            (1) In general.--A statewide strategic prevention plan 
        shall be used by the state to assist local communities, both 
        directly and through existing state programs and services, in 
        building comprehensive, strategic and innovative approaches to 
        reducing crime, violence, and substance abuse based on local 
        conditions and needs.
            (2) Goals.--The plan must contain statewide long-term goals 
        and measurable annual objectives for reducing crime, violence, 
        and substance abuse.
            (3) Accountability.--The state shall be required to develop 
        and report in its plan relevant performance targets and 
        measures for the goals and objectives to track changes in 
        crime, violence, and substance abuse.
            (4) Consultation.--States shall constitute a state crime 
        free communities commission comprised of state and local 
        government, and community leaders who will provide advice and 
        recommendations on relevant community goals and objectives, and 
        performance targets and measures.
    (d) Requirements.--
            (1) Training and technical assistance.--The state shall 
        provide training and technical assistance, including such 
        assistance offered by the Attorney General of the United States 
        through the National Crime Prevention Council, to assist local 
        communities in developing Crime Prevention Plans that reflect 
        statewide strategic goals and objectives, and performance 
        targets and measures.
            (2) Reports.--The state shall be required to report its 
        statewide strategic plan to the Attorney General that includes 
        evidence of--
                    (A) involvement of relevant state-level agencies to 
                assist communities in the development and 
                implementation of their Crime Prevention Plans;
                    (B) support for local applications for Community 
                Grants; and
                    (C) community progress toward reducing crime, 
                violence, and substance abuse.
            (3) Certification.--Beginning in the third year of the 
        program, states must certify that the local grantee's project 
        funded under the community grant is generally consistent with 
        statewide strategic goals and objectives, and performance 
        targets and measures.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $20,000,000 to carry out this section for the fiscal years 
2002 through 2006.
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