[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5913 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5913

   To establish a pilot program for law enforcement agencies to use 
 anonymous texts from citizens to augment their anonymous tip hotlines.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2010

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a pilot program for law enforcement agencies to use 
 anonymous texts from citizens to augment their anonymous tip hotlines.

    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 ``Text a Tip Act of 2010''.

SEC. 2. A PILOT PROGRAM FOR TEXTING CRIME TIPS.

    (a) In General.--The Attorney General may make grants to State or 
local law enforcement agencies to implement an anonymous tip program 
using cell phone text messaging that comply with the requirements of 
this Act.
    (b) Use of Funds.--A State or local law enforcement agency that 
receives a grant under this Act shall use amounts provided under the 
grant to develop, implement, or expand the anonymous tip system using 
cell phone text messaging which may include payment of the following 
expenses:
            (1) Salaries, personnel, training, technology, and other 
        costs directly related to the operation of the program, 
        including reward money.
            (2) Promotion of the program including public service 
        announcements, printed advertisements, and other forms of 
        marketing.
    (c) Federal Share.--The Federal share of a grant under this Act 
shall not exceed 75 percent of the cost of the program.
    (d) Supplement and Not Supplant.--Grant amounts received under this 
Act shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, non-Federal funds 
that would otherwise be available for activities funded under this Act.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.

    A texting tip program of a State or local law enforcement agency 
eligible for a grant under this Act shall comply with the following 
requirements:
            (1) The State or local law enforcement agency shall 
        administer the program.
            (2) The incoming text messages shall be stripped of any 
        identifying information before it is transmitted to the law 
        enforcement agency through a verifiable technology or third 
        party.
            (3) The text tip shall not be traceable by any means.
            (4) The texting program shall not replace any existing 1-
        800 tip hotlines.
            (5) The law enforcement agency shall train sufficient 
        personnel to intercept and respond to the text tips.
            (6) The law enforcement agency shall, to the extent 
        possible, make this program compatible with most mobile phone 
        providers.
            (7) The texting program should include a unidentifiable 
        code that can be given to the tipster if they want to send 
        follow up information to the law enforcement agency, allowing 
        for increased continuity and more accurate information.
            (8) The texting program shall include a feature to abort a 
        tip while it is in the process of being given.
            (9) The law enforcement agency shall not impose any 
        additional fees on the tipster's mobile phone. Only standard 
        messaging rates from the tipster's mobile phone provider shall 
        apply.
            (10) The law enforcement agency shall, to the extent 
        possible, promote the texting program to encourage citizens, 
        especially youth, to participate in the program.

SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS.

    (a) In General.--To request a grant under this Act, a State or 
local law enforcement agency shall submit an application to the 
Attorney General in such form and containing such information as the 
Attorney General may reasonably require.
    (b) Certifications.--Each application for a grant under this Act 
shall contain the certification of the State or local law enforcement 
agency that the program for which the grant is requested meets each of 
the requirements of this Act.

SEC. 5. REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS.

    (a) Recipients.--For each fiscal year, each recipient of a grant 
under this Act during that fiscal year shall submit to the Attorney 
General a report on a date specified by the Attorney General--
            (1) regarding the effectiveness of activities carried out 
        using that grant; and
            (2) including an evaluation in such form and containing 
        such information as the Attorney General may reasonably 
        require.
    (b) Attorney General.--The Attorney General shall submit a yearly 
report on the effectiveness on the activities carried out under this 
Act to the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``texting tip program'' means a program that--
                    (A) allows citizens to text tips anonymously to a 
                law enforcement agency to aid in criminal justice;
                    (B) strips texts of identifying information; and
                    (C) is used by a law enforcement agency to prevent 
                and solve crimes.
            (2) The term ``texting'' means sending written messages 
        from a mobile phone. Texts is the plural form of text messages.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General to 
carry out this Act $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 
2016.
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