[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9945]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


              COMMERCE-JUSTICE-SCIENCE APPROPRIATIONS BILL

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today I want to highlight several 
important provisions I am pleased are included in the fiscal year 2017 
spending bill for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, Science, and 
Related Agencies.
  Several of these provisions are transparency measures that I 
developed after months of oversight work, to ensure greater 
accountability in the use of Federal funds. The bill also includes 
funding for several key programs that benefit at-risk children, as well 
as survivors of sexual or domestic violence.
  First, I am pleased the fugitive apprehension activities that are 
authorized under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act are 
supported in this bill. The Adam Walsh Act, which is so named to honor 
the memory of a 9-year-old boy who was murdered in 1981, authorizes the 
U.S. Marshals Service to apprehend convicted sex offenders who fail to 
register as fugitives. The Adam Walsh Act also calls for U.S. Marshals 
to help jurisdictions track down those who fail to register as sex 
offenders or who later go missing from the registration system.
  I have introduced legislation, known as the Adam Walsh 
Reauthorization Act of 2016, to extend the authorization for these same 
fugitive apprehension activities in each of the next 2 years. Earlier 
this year, I led the Senate Judiciary Committee in approving this 
reauthorization measure, and it passed the full Senate, 89-0, a few 
weeks ago.
  Providing $61.3 million in funding for these Adam Walsh Act 
activities in fiscal year 2017, as our reauthorization bill proposes, 
will help ensure the safety of America's children. It is vital that the 
other chamber quickly take up and pass our reauthorization bill before 
the 35th anniversary of Adam Walsh's disappearance on July 27th.
  Second, I appreciate the committee's efforts to ensure adequate 
resources for Federal juvenile justice and delinquency prevention 
programs. Senator Whitehouse and I have filed a bill to update and 
extend the authorization for these very same programs. Our bill, 
entitled the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 
Reauthorization Act, would ensure there is greater accountability, on 
the part of the Justice Department, in the use of the juvenile justice 
dollars. Our Judiciary Committee cleared this bill by voice vote, and 
our legislation has the support of hundreds of law enforcement 
officials and nonprofit organizations around the country. Its prompt 
enactment is vital to avert mismanagement, waste, and abuse in juvenile 
justice programs.
  Third, many of us have stressed the importance of funding programs 
that benefit survivors of domestic and sexual violence across the 
Nation. These include the STOP Grants, transitional housing assistance, 
civil legal assistance, and sexual assault services programs. The bill 
before us adequately supports these programs.
  Finally, I would like to highlight additional key provisions of this 
year's appropriations bill that I championed. One provision, which is 
based on my oversight work and another bill that I introduced last 
February, would bar the use of funds to deny or impede an inspector 
general's timely access to any records, documents, or other materials 
needed to carry out its oversight work. There is just one exception to 
this requirement in this bill, and it arises only if Congress passes 
legislation expressly limiting the inspector general's right of access 
to these materials.
  It is also vital that Congress is aware of any effort by DOJ or other 
Federal departments or agencies to impede the inspector general's work. 
That is why Senate appropriators incorporated language in this year's 
spending bill requiring an inspector general to notify both the House 
and Senate Appropriations Committees within 5 days of any agency's 
failure to comply with the CJS bill's transparency requirement.
  Until the minority leader stops obstructing passage of the bipartisan 
Inspector General Empowerment Act, this spending restriction is the 
next best thing we can do to prevent the Justice Department from acting 
as if the law requiring inspector general access to ``all records'' 
does not really mean ``all records.''
  The other provision I championed would increase transparency of the 
Marshals Service's use of the Assets Forfeiture Fund. I have been 
reviewing the Marshals Service's expenditures from this fund for more 
than a year. Although the inspector general recently informed the 
Judiciary Committee that he couldn't find any laws or regulations that 
have been broken, he did not speak to the numerous allegations I have 
received from whistleblowers about the waste of monies in the fund. I 
continue to have concerns about extensive and cavalier spending of that 
fund on unnecessary facilities and frivolous furniture, as well as on 
salaries and activities that aren't directly related to asset 
forfeiture activities.
  In closing, I wanted to make sure my colleagues are aware of these 
important provisions of the CJS spending bill.

                          ____________________