[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4035 Reported in House (RH)]
<DOC>
Union Calendar No. 112
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4035
[Report No. 117-154]
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to
prioritize veterans court treatment programs that ensure equal access
for racial and ethnic minorities and women, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 22, 2021
Ms. Jackson Lee (for herself and Mr. Nadler) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
October 25, 2021
Additional sponsor: Mr. Rutherford
October 25, 2021
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June
22, 2021]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to
prioritize veterans court treatment programs that ensure equal access
for racial and ethnic minorities and women, 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 ``Real Justice for Our Veterans Act of
2021''.
SEC. 2. EQUAL ACCESS TO VETERANS COURT TREATMENT PROGRAMS FOR RACIAL
AND ETHNIC MINORITIES AND WOMEN.
Section 2991(i)(2) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets
Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10651(i)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(C) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the
date of enactment of this subparagraph, the Attorney
General shall submit to Congress a report on the
effectiveness of veterans treatment court programs. In
preparing such a report, the Attorney General shall
conduct a national multi-site evaluation of such
programs, including an assessment of--
``(i) the population served by such
programs;
``(ii) whether such programs use evidence-
based treatments for substance use and mental
health, including medication for addiction
treatment;
``(iii) recidivism rates of participants in
such programs;
``(iv) program completion rates; and
``(v) whether racial and ethnic minorities
and women have equal access to such programs
and an equal opportunity to complete such
programs, including by collecting and analyzing
data related to admission in such programs and
completion of such programs, to ensure there
are not disparities related to race, ethnicity,
or sex.''.
SEC. 3. VETERANS PILOT PROGRAM ON PROMISING RETENTION MODELS.
(a) Establishment.--The Attorney General, acting through the
Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, shall carry out a pilot
program to make grants to eligible units of local government to improve
retention in veterans treatment court programs (as such term is defined
in section 2991 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of
1968 (34 U.S.C. 10651)) and drug court programs.
(b) Eligibility.--In order to be eligible for a grant under
subsection (a), a unit of local government shall operate a veterans
treatment court program or a drug court.
(c) Application.--A unit of local government seeking a grant
through the pilot program under subsection (a) shall submit to the
Attorney General an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Attorney General may reasonably
require, including--
(1) a description of the therapeutic or treatment modality
that the unit of local government plans to implement and data
to support the use of the therapeutic or treatment modality,
including information showing how the therapeutic or treatment
modality will promote retention in and completion of veterans
treatment court programs and drug court programs; and
(2) detailed plans on how the applicant would test the
efficacy of the therapeutic or treatment modality.
(d) Reporting Metrics.--Not later than 180 days after receiving a
grant under subsection (a), a unit of local government shall submit to
the Attorney General a report, which includes demographic information
of participants in the veterans treatment court program, and completion
rates of such participants. The Attorney General shall develop
guidelines for the report required under this subsection.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2027 to
carry out this section.
SEC. 4. ADMISSION OF VETERANS TO DRUG COURTS.
In the case of a jurisdiction that does not operate a veterans
treatment court program (as such term is defined in section 2991 of the
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10651)),
but that does operate a drug court under part EE of the Omnibus Crime
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10611 et seq.), a
veteran who would be eligible to participate in a veterans treatment
court program may participate in the drug court, including a veteran
who is a violent offender (as such term is defined in section 2953(a)
of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C.
10613(a))).
Union Calendar No. 112
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4035
[Report No. 117-154]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to
prioritize veterans court treatment programs that ensure equal access
for racial and ethnic minorities and women, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
October 25, 2021
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed