[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3293 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3293

 To provide financial aid to local law enforcement officials along the 
               Nation's borders, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                July 21 (legislative day, July 17), 2008

   Mr. Bingaman (for himself, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Domenici, and Mr. 
    Cornyn) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide financial aid to local law enforcement officials along the 
               Nation's borders, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Border Law Enforcement Relief Act of 
2008''.

SEC. 2. BORDER RELIEF GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--The Attorney General is authorized to 
        award grants to an eligible law enforcement agency to provide 
        assistance to such agency to address border-related criminal 
        activity that occurs in the jurisdiction of such agency.
            (2) Competitive basis.--The Attorney General shall award 
        grants under this subsection on a competitive basis.
    (b) Use of Funds.--Grants awarded pursuant to subsection (a) may 
only be used to provide additional resources for an eligible law 
enforcement agency, including resources to--
            (1) obtain equipment;
            (2) hire additional personnel;
            (3) upgrade and maintain law enforcement technology;
            (4) cover the operational costs, including overtime and 
        transportation costs; and
            (5) assist that agency in responding to border-related 
        criminal activity.
    (c) Application.--
            (1) In general.--Each eligible law enforcement agency 
        seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application 
        to the Attorney General at such time, in such manner, and 
        accompanied by such information as the Attorney General may 
        reasonably require.
            (2) Contents.--Each application submitted under paragraph 
        (1) shall--
                    (A) describe the activities for which assistance 
                under this section is sought; and
                    (B) provide such additional assurances as the 
                Attorney General determines to be essential to ensure 
                compliance with the requirements under this section.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible law enforcement agency.--The term ``eligible 
        law enforcement agency'' means a tribal, State, or local law 
        enforcement agency located or performing duties in--
                    (A) a county that is not more than 100 miles from a 
                United States border with--
                            (i) Canada; or
                            (ii) Mexico; or
                    (B) a county that is more than 100 miles from each 
                of the borders described in subparagraph (A), if such 
                county has been certified by the Attorney General as a 
                High Impact Area.
            (2) High impact area.--The term ``High Impact Area'' means 
        any county designated by the Attorney General as a High Impact 
        Area, taking into consideration--
                    (A) whether an eligible law enforcement agency in 
                that county has the resources to protect the lives, 
                property, safety, or welfare of the residents of that 
                county;
                    (B) whether the county has been designated as a 
                ``High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area'' by the 
                National Drug Control Program under section 707 of the 
                Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization 
                Act of 1998 (21 U.S.C. 1706);
                    (C) the relationship between any lack of security 
                along the United States border and the rise, if any, of 
                criminal activity in that county; and
                    (D) any other unique challenges that eligible law 
                enforcement agencies face due to a lack of security 
                along the United States border.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        $100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 2013 to 
        carry out the provisions of this section.
            (2) Allocation of authorized funds.--Of the amounts 
        appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1), 33 percent shall be set 
        aside for areas designated as High Impact Areas under 
        subsection (d)(2).
    (f) Supplement Not Supplant.--Amounts appropriated for grants under 
this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant other tribal, 
State, and local public funds obligated for the purposes provided under 
this title.

SEC. 3. ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAW.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize tribal, State, 
or local law enforcement agencies or their officers to exercise Federal 
immigration law enforcement authority.
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