Harkin Adds Crime Prevention Funding to Supplemental Funding Package

Press Release

Harkin Adds Crime Prevention Funding to Supplemental Funding Package
Iowa Senator successful in inserting $490 million for Byrne Grant Program in emergency spending bill

U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today announced that he was successful in adding $489.6 million in this year's supplemental appropriations package for the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program. The additional funding would restore Byrne/JAG funding for fiscal year 2008 to $660 million - the same level that the Senate originally provided for in the Commerce Justice and Science Appropriations bill that passed the Senate last year.

The supplemental package was requested by the President to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and will be considered by the Senate Appropriations Committee tomorrow. While the Senate originally provided $660 million for Byrne/JAG grants, following a veto threat, the Omnibus Appropriations bill that ultimately passed funded the programs at only $170 million. This funding level represents a more than two-thirds drop from the 2007 level, and is down from nearly $900 million from 2002.

"Funding the drug taskforces and law enforcement officers in our own communities is one of the most effective ways to bolster America's homeland security," said Harkin. "If the President demands that we spend $16 million an hour on the civil war in Iraq, I believe we can adequately fund the men and women who protect our families and keep drugs off our streets. American families deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing we are doing all we can to keep drugs off the streets."

"Senator Harkin has been a good friend of law enforcement for a long time," said David Steingraber, National Criminal Justice Association President and Executive Director of the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance. "The senator understands the importance of the Byrne/JAG program as the cornerstone of federal public safety efforts and has been a leader in the effort to make our country a safer place. We thank Senator Harkin and his staff for being committed to this nation's children and neighborhoods."

The Byrne Grant Program, named after a police officer killed by a violent drug gang twenty years ago, is the only source of federal funding for multi-jurisdictional efforts to prevent and fight crime. The program funds drug task forces that have been vital in reducing methamphetamine labs around the country. Byrne also helps pay for police, technology and crime prevention programs. The grants have resulted in major innovations in crime control, including drug courts, gang prevention strategies and prisoner reentry programs.

"Our sheriffs and police officers from communities large and small should not be burdened with budget cuts when they're trying to protect their communities and fight crime. In my home state of Iowa, the Administration's funding cut will lead to layoffs and the elimination of 15 of our 21 drug task forces," said Harkin. "If we are committed to the security of our communities - as I believe we are - then we must give our local law enforcement everything they need to continue keeping drugs and criminals off the street and making our neighborhoods safer."

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