[House Report 112-582]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


112th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     112-582

======================================================================



 
 JUVENILE ACCOUNTABILITY BLOCK GRANT REAUTHORIZATION AND THE BULLYING 
                PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION ACT OF 2012

                                _______
                                

  July 9, 2012.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Smith of Texas, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 6019]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the 
bill (H.R. 6019) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 to enhance the use of Juvenile 
Accountability Block Grants for programs to prevent and address 
occurrences of bullying and to reauthorize the Juvenile 
Accountability Block Grants program, having considered the 
same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment and 
recommends that the bill as amended do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page

The Amendment....................................................     1
Purpose and Summary..............................................     2
Background and Need for the Legislation..........................     2
Hearings.........................................................     3
Committee Consideration..........................................     3
Committee Votes..................................................     3
Committee Oversight Findings.....................................     3
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................     3
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................     3
Performance Goals and Objectives.................................     5
Advisory on Earmarks.............................................     5
Section-by-Section Analysis......................................     5
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............     6

                             The Amendment

    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Juvenile Accountability Block Grant 
Reauthorization and the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 
2012''.

SEC. 2. BULLYING PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION PROGRAMS; REAUTHORIZATION 
                    OF JUVENILE ACCOUNTABILITY BLOCK GRANTS.

  (a) Bullying Prevention and Intervention.--
          (1) In general.--Paragraph (13) of section 1801(b) of the 
        Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
        3796ee(b)) is amended to read as follows:
          ``(13) establishing and maintaining accountability-based 
        programs that are designed to enhance school safety, which 
        programs may include research-based bullying prevention, 
        cyberbullying prevention, and gang prevention programs, as well 
        as intervention programs regarding bullying;''.
          (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of the Congress that 
        the use of best practices is encouraged for all activities for 
        which grants under part R of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
        Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 may be used.
  (b) Reauthorization of Juvenile Accountability Block Grants.--Section 
1810(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 3796ee-10(a)) is amended by inserting 
before the period at the end the following: ``and $40,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2013 through 2017''.

                          Purpose and Summary

    H.R. 6019 reauthorizes the Justice Department's Juvenile 
Accountability Block Grant (JABG) program at $40 million a year 
for 5 years. The bill also amends the existing JABG school 
safety purpose area to ensure that grant funds may be spent on 
bullying intervention programs, and provides a Sense of 
Congress that best practices should be used to implement all 
JABG purposes.

                Background and Need for the Legislation

    The JABG program provides grants to states, tribes, and 
units of local government to strengthen their juvenile justice 
systems and foster accountability within their juvenile 
populations by holding juveniles responsible for their actions. 
Each state is automatically distributed 0.5% of the total 
appropriated money under the program, and the remaining amount 
is distributed based on the states' rate of juveniles under the 
age of 18. The JABG program was originally codified in 2002, 
and was most recently reauthorized in 2005 at $350 million a 
year for fiscal years 2006 through 2009. The program was 
appropriated $46 million in fiscal year 2011, and $30 million 
in fiscal year 2012.
    The JABG program currently has 17 authorized purpose areas, 
including: implementing graduated sanctions for juveniles; 
building or operating juvenile correction or detention 
facilities; supporting prosecutorial initiatives aimed at 
curbing drug use, violence, and gangs; accountability-based 
school safety initiatives; and establishing juvenile drug 
courts and gun courts.
    In 2005, a purpose area was added to the program to address 
school safety, including bullying and cyberbullying prevention. 
Although bullying among youth is not a new problem, it remains 
a serious one. A 2009 study released by the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention found that 43.9% of the participating 
middle school students and 30.5% of the participating high 
school students had been affected by bullying.\1\ Bullying is 
also not always harmless juvenile fun. According to this same 
study, victims of bullying are more than three times more 
likely to report having seriously considered committing suicide 
or intentionally harming themselves, and they are much more 
likely to report drug and alcohol use.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\See Bullying Among Middle School and High School Students--
Massachusetts, 2009, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/
mm6015a1.htm?s_cid=mm6015a1_w.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    H.R. 6019 reauthorizes the JABG program at $40 million a 
year for 5 years, expands the existing anti-bullying purpose 
area to include intervention in addition to prevention, and 
encourages the use of best practices for bullying prevention 
and intervention and all of the other purpose areas within the 
JABG program.

                                Hearings

    The Committee on the Judiciary held no hearings on H.R. 
6019.

                        Committee Consideration

    On June 28, 2012, the Committee met in open session and 
ordered the bill H.R. 6019 favorably reported with an 
amendment, by voice vote, a quorum being present.

                            Committee Votes

    In compliance with clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that there 
were no recorded votes during the Committee's consideration of 
H.R. 6019. The Committee approved by voice vote two amendments 
offered by Mr. Scott.

                      Committee Oversight Findings

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that the 
findings and recommendations of the Committee, based on 
oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the 
descriptive portions of this report.

               New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures

    Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is inapplicable because this legislation does 
not provide new budgetary authority or increased tax 
expenditures.

               Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee sets forth, with 
respect to the bill, H.R. 6019, the following estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                      Washington, DC, July 9, 2012.
Hon. Lamar Smith, Chairman,
Committee on the Judiciary,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 6019, the 
``Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and the 
Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 2012.''
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark 
Grabowicz, who can be reached at 226-2860.
            Sincerely,
                                      Douglas W. Elmendorf,
                                                  Director.

Enclosure

cc:
        Honorable John Conyers, Jr.
        Ranking Member




H.R. 6019--Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and the 
           Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 2012.

      As ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary 
                           on June 28, 2012.




                                SUMMARY

    H.R. 6019 would authorize the appropriation of $40 million 
annually over the 2013-2017 period for the Department of 
Justice (DOJ) to make grants to State and local governments for 
programs to strengthen the juvenile justice system, including 
programs to combat bullying in schools.
    Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO 
estimates that implementing H.R. 6019 would cost $121 million 
over the 2013-2017 period. Pay-as-you-go procedures do not 
apply to this legislation because it would not affect direct 
spending or revenues.
    H.R. 6019 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA).

                ESTIMATED COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

    The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 6019 is shown in the 
following table. CBO assumes that the authorized amounts will 
be appropriated near the start of each fiscal year and that 
outlays will follow the historical rate of spending for similar 
activities. The costs of this legislation fall within budget 
function 750 (administration of justice).

                                     By Fiscal Year, in Millions of Dollars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  2013      2014      2015      2016      2017     2013-    2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
Authorization Level                                 40        40        40        40        40            200

Estimated Outlays                                    5        16        26        34        40            121
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                      PAY-AS-YOU-GO CONSIDERATIONS

    None.

              INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR IMPACT

    H.R. 6019 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in UMRA. State, local, and tribal 
governments would benefit from grants authorized by the bill. 
Any costs to those governments would be incurred voluntarily as 
a condition of Federal assistance.

                         ESTIMATE PREPARED BY:

Federal Costs: Mark Grabowicz
Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Melissa Merrell
Impact on the Private Sector: Vi Nguyen

                         ESTIMATE APPROVED BY:

Peter H. Fontaine
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis

                    Performance Goals and Objectives

    The Committee states that pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, H.R. 
6019, reauthorizes the JABG program, ensures that grant funds 
may be spent on bullying intervention programs, and provides a 
Sense of Congress that best practices should be used to 
implement the purposes of the JABG program.

                          Advisory on Earmarks

    In accordance with clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, H.R. 6019 does not contain any 
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of Rule XXI.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis

    The following discussion describes the bill as reported by 
the Committee.
Sec. 1. Short title.
    Section 1 sets forth the short title of the bill as 
Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and the 
Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act of 2012.
Sec. 2. Bullying Prevention and Intervention Programs; Reauthorization 
        of Juvenile Accountability Block Grants.
    Section 2 amends the existing JABG school safety purpose 
area (42 U.S.C. Sec. 3796ee(b)) to expressly state that grant 
funds may be used for bullying intervention programs, and 
provides a Sense of Congress that best practices should be used 
to combat bullying. Section 2 also reauthorizes the JABG 
program at $40 million for 5 years.

         Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported

  In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by 
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law 
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new 
matter is printed in italics, existing law in which no change 
is proposed is shown in roman):

              OMNIBUS CRIME CONTROL AND SAFE STREETS ACT 
                                OF 1968



           *       *       *       *       *       *       *
TITLE I--JUSTICE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


              PART R--JUVENILE ACCOUNTABILITY BLOCK GRANTS

SEC. 1801. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    (a) * * *
    (b) Authorized Activities.--Amounts paid to a State or a 
unit of local government under this part shall be used by the 
State or unit of local government for the purpose of 
strengthening the juvenile justice system, which includes--
            (1) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

            [(13) establishing and maintaining accountability-
        based programs that are designed to enhance school 
        safety, which programs may include research-based 
        bullying, cyberbullying, and gang prevention programs;]
            (13) establishing and maintaining accountability-
        based programs that are designed to enhance school 
        safety, which programs may include research-based 
        bullying prevention, cyberbullying prevention, and gang 
        prevention programs, as well as intervention programs 
        regarding bullying;

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


SEC. 1810. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out this part, $350,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 
through 2009 and $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2013 
through 2017.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


                                  
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