[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2955 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2955

  To authorize funds to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to 
               carry out its Community Safety Initiative.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 1, 2008

 Mr. Whitehouse (for himself and Mr. Specter) introduced the following 
    bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize funds to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to 
               carry out its Community Safety Initiative.

    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 ``Community Safety Initiative Act of 
2008.''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (in this 
        section referred to as the ``LISC'') is a national community 
        development support organization which provides capital, 
        technical expertise, training, and information to help 
        community-based organizations transform distressed 
        neighborhoods into healthy and sustainable places to live, do 
        business, work, and raise families. Since 1994, LISC's 
        Community Safety Initiative has promoted partnerships between 
        community developers and law enforcement agencies in low-income 
        communities to reduce crime, encourage economic revitalization, 
        and respond to the challenges faced by people returning home 
        upon release from jail or prison.
            (2) Community Safety Initiative activities specifically 
        accomplish the following:
                    (A) Address crime and disorder, including drug and 
                gang activity involving youth.
                    (B) Spur economic investment.
                    (C) Build trust between communities and police.
                    (D) Respond to prisoner reentry challenges related 
                to housing, employment, social services, and systems 
                coordination.
                    (E) Foster national knowledge-sharing between law 
                enforcement agencies and community organizations about 
                best-practice crime prevention strategies.
            (3) The Community Safety Initiative improves safety and 
        quality of life in more than 20 low-income communities across 
        the country each year, resulting in measurable reductions in 
        crime, better community-police relations, quality affordable 
        housing in place of problem properties, viable businesses in 
        previously blighted commercial corridors, effective prisoner 
        reentry programs, and more strategic and efficient use of 
        public- and private-sector resources.
            (4) The Community Safety Initiative program has effectively 
        utilized Federal funds since fiscal year 1999.
            (5) The Community Safety Initiative has a long-standing 
        partnership with the United States Department of Justice 
        Community Capacity Development Office and has been endorsed by 
        police chiefs and community development leaders across the 
        country.

SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM FOR EXPANDING THE COMMUNITY SAFETY INITIATIVE.

    In each of fiscal years 2009 through 2014, the Assistant Attorney 
General for the Office of Justice Programs of the Department of Justice 
may make grants to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to carry 
out its Community Safety Initiative.

SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORT.

    (a) In General.--The Local Initiatives Support Corporation shall, 
in each of fiscal years 2009 through 2014, submit a report to the 
Assistant Attorney General.
    (b) Required Content.--Each report required to be submitted under 
subsection (a) shall include a detailed statement--
            (1) regarding the progress made by the Community Safety 
        Initiative in using Federal funds to reduce crime, encourage 
        economic revitalization, improve community-police relations, 
        respond to the challenges faced by people returning home upon 
        release from jail or prison, and promoting community safety 
        knowledge-sharing in low-income and minority communities; and
            (2) of the activities for which the appropriated funds were 
        spent by the Community Safety Initiative.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2014.
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