[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 638 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 638
To amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to
improve efforts to reduce gang activity and violent crime.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 23, 2007
Mr. Jindal introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to
improve efforts to reduce gang activity and violent crime.
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 ``Violent Crime Reduction Act of
2007''.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF AND ASSISTANCE FOR HIGH-INTENSITY INTERSTATE
GANG ACTIVITY AREAS.
Title XV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of
1994 (42 U.S.C 14061 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following new section:
``SEC. 150010. DESIGNATION OF AND ASSISTANCE FOR HIGH-INTENSITY
INTERSTATE GANG ACTIVITY AREAS.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section the following definitions shall
apply:
``(1) Governor.--The term `Governor' means a Governor or
other chief executive officer of a State or the Mayor of the
District of Columbia.
``(2) High-intensity interstate gang activity area.--The
term `high-intensity interstate gang activity area' means a
specified area within one or more States that is designated as
a high-intensity interstate gang activity area under subsection
(b)(1).
``(3) State.--The term `State' means a State of the United
States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth,
territory, or possession of the United States.
``(b) High-Intensity Interstate Gang Activity Areas.--
``(1) Designation.--The Attorney General, after
consultation with the Governors of appropriate States, may
designate as a high-intensity interstate gang activity area,
any specified area that is located within 1 or more States,
based on the criteria for designation under paragraph (4).
``(2) Assistance.--In order to provide Federal assistance
to high-intensity interstate gang activity areas, the Attorney
General shall--
``(A) establish a criminal street gang enforcement
team in each high-intensity interstate gang activity
area, consisting of Federal, State, and local law
enforcement authorities, for the coordinated
investigation, disruption, apprehension, and
prosecution of criminal street gangs and offenders in
such area;
``(B) direct the reassignment or detailing from any
Federal department or agency (subject to the approval
of the head of that department or agency, in the case
of a department or agency other than the Department of
Justice) of personnel to each criminal street gang
enforcement team established under subparagraph (A);
``(C) provide all necessary funding for the
operation of such criminal street gang enforcement
teams in each high-intensity interstate gang activity
area; and
``(D) provide all necessary funding for national
and regional meetings of criminal street gang
enforcement teams, and all other related organizations,
as needed, to ensure effective operation of such teams
through the sharing of intelligence, best practices,
and for any other related purpose.
``(3) Composition of criminal street gang enforcement
teams.--Each criminal street gang enforcement team established
pursuant to paragraph (2)(A) shall consist of agents and
officers, where feasible, from--
``(A) the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
``(B) the Drug Enforcement Administration;
``(C) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and
Explosives;
``(D) the United States Marshals Service;
``(E) the Directorate of Border and Transportation
Security of the Department of Homeland Security;
``(F) the Department of Housing and Urban
Development;
``(G) State and local law enforcement; and
``(H) Federal, State, and local prosecutors.
``(4) Criteria for designation.--In considering an area for
designation as a high-intensity interstate gang activity area
under this section, the Attorney General shall consider--
``(A) the current and predicted levels of gang
crime activity in the area;
``(B) the extent to which violent crime in the area
appears to be related to criminal street gang activity,
such as drug trafficking, murder, robbery, assault,
carjacking, arson, kidnapping, extortion, and other
criminal activity;
``(C) the extent to which State and local law
enforcement agencies have committed resources to--
``(i) respond to the gang crime problem;
and
``(ii) participate in a criminal street
gang enforcement team;
``(D) the extent to which a significant increase in
the allocation of Federal resources would enhance local
response to the gang crime activities in the area; and
``(E) any other criteria that the Attorney General
considers to be appropriate.
``(c) Additional Assistant U.S. Attorneys.--The Attorney General is
authorized to hire not more than 94 additional Assistant United States
attorneys to carry out the provisions of this section. Each attorney
hired under this subsection shall be assigned to a high-intensity
interstate gang activity area.
``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this
section.''.
SEC. 3. GRANTS TO STATE AND LOCAL PROSECUTORS TO COMBAT VIOLENT CRIME
AND TO PROTECT WITNESSES AND VICTIMS OF CRIMES.
(a) In General.--Section 31702 of the Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 13862) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and
inserting a semicolon; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) to hire additional prosecutors to--
``(A) allow more cases to be prosecuted; and
``(B) reduce backlogs;
``(6) to fund technology, equipment, and training for
prosecutors and law enforcement in order to increase accurate
identification of gang members and violent offenders, and to
maintain databases with such information to facilitate
coordination among law enforcement and prosecutors; and
``(7) to fund technology, equipment, and training for
prosecutors to increase the accurate identification and
successful prosecution of young violent offenders.''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 31707 of the Violent
Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 13867) is
amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 31707. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
subtitle $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012
.''.
SEC. 4. GRANTS TO STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TO ESTABLISH STATE-
WIDE CRIME PREVENTION DATABASES.
Subtitle I of title XXXII of the Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act of 1994 is amended by adding at the end the following
new section:
``SEC. 320936. GRANTS TO STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT TO ESTABLISH
STATE-WIDE CRIME PREVENTION DATABASES.
``(a) Authority to Make Grants.--The Office of Justice Programs of
the Department of Justice shall award grants, in accordance with such
regulations as the Attorney General may prescribe, to State and local
programs designed to establish a State-wide database to track
criminals, arrests, prosecutions, and convictions.
``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this
section.''.
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