I 111th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5913 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.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Text a Tip Act of 2010.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.