[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1741 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1741

To require the Attorney General to make competitive grants to eligible 
State, tribal, and local prosecutors to establish and maintain certain 
              protection and witness assistance programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 26, 2009

 Mr. Cummings (for himself, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. McDermott, Mr. 
  Van Hollen, Mr. Sestak, and Ms. Bordallo) introduced the following 
       bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Attorney General to make competitive grants to eligible 
State, tribal, and local prosecutors to establish and maintain certain 
              protection and witness assistance programs.

    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 ``Witness Security and Protection 
Grant Program Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WITNESS PROTECTION GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Attorney General shall make competitive grants 
to eligible State, tribal, and local prosecutors to establish or 
maintain programs that provide protection or assistance to witnesses in 
court proceedings involving homicide, or involving a serious violent 
felony or serious drug offense as defined in section 3559(c)(2) of 
title 18, United States Code. The Attorney General shall ensure that, 
to the extent reasonable and practical, such grants are made to achieve 
an equitable geographical distribution of such programs throughout the 
United States.
    (b) State, Tribal, and Local Prosecutors Defined.--For purposes of 
this Act, the term ``State, tribal, or local prosecutor'' means any 
district attorney, county attorney, tribal attorney, or attorney 
general of a State or territory, or the United States attorney for the 
District of Columbia.

SEC. 3. USE OF GRANTS.

    A grant made under section 2 may be used only to pay all or part of 
the cost of the program for which such grant is made.

SEC. 4. PRIORITY.

    In making grants under section 2, the Attorney General shall give 
priority to applications submitted under section 5 involving programs 
in the District of Columbia or in States with an average of not less 
than 100 murders per year during the most recent 5-year period, as 
calculated using the latest available crime statistics from the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation.

SEC. 5. APPLICATION.

    To be eligible for a grant under section 2, a State, tribal, or 
local prosecutor shall submit to the Office of Justice Programs an 
application in such form and manner, at such time, and accompanied by 
such information as the Attorney General specifies.

SEC. 6. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--From amounts made available to carry out this Act, 
the United States Marshals Service shall, upon request of the Attorney 
General, provide technical assistance to an entity receiving a grant 
under this Act for a program to the extent such technical assistance is 
needed to carry out such program.
    (b) Grantee Requests.--For purposes of subsection (a), the Attorney 
General shall submit to the United States Marshals Service a request 
for technical assistance, with respect to an entity receiving a grant 
under this Act, if such entity submits to the Attorney General a 
request for such assistance. The Attorney General shall submit such 
request to the United States Marshals Service, with respect to such 
entity, not later than 45 days after the date on which the Attorney 
General receives a request from such entity for such technical 
assistance.

SEC. 7. BEST PRACTICES.

    (a) Report.--Each recipient of a grant under section 2 shall submit 
to the Attorney General a report, in such form and manner and 
containing such information as specified by the Attorney General, that 
evaluates each program established or maintained pursuant to such 
grant, including policies and procedures under the program.
    (b) Development of Best Practices.--Based on the reports submitted 
under subsection (a), the Attorney General shall develop best practice 
models to assist States and other relevant entities in addressing--
            (1) witness safety;
            (2) short-term and permanent witness relocation;
            (3) financial and housing assistance; and
            (4) any other services related to witness protection or 
        assistance that are determined by the Attorney General to be 
        necessary.
    (c) Dissemination to States.--Not later than 1 year after the 
development of best practice models under subsection (b), the Attorney 
General shall disseminate to States and other relevant entities such 
models.
    (d) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that States and 
other relevant entities should use the best practice models developed 
and disseminated in accordance with this Act to evaluate, improve, and 
develop witness protection or witness assistance as appropriate.
    (e) Clarification.--Nothing in this Act requires the dissemination 
of any information deemed by the Attorney General to be a security 
risk.

SEC. 8. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    Not later than December 31, 2014, the Attorney General shall submit 
a report to Congress on the programs funded by grants awarded under 
section 2, including on matters specified under section 7(b).

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such 
sums as are necessary for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 2013.
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