Letter: To Alberto R. Gonzales, US Attorney General, AND Regina O. Schofield, US Assistant Attorney General
Letter: To Alberto R. Gonzales, US Attorney General, AND Regina O. Schofield, US Assistant Attorney General
Dear Attorney General Gonzales and Assistant Attorney General Schofield:
Last week, the House passed H.J.Res. 20, making further continuing appropriations for FY07. Among other things, the legislation includes language rescinding unobligated balances from prior year appropriations from the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). We would like to reaffirm our understanding with the Department that FY06 SCAAP funds will not be subject to rescission.
As you know, SCAAP is an important program which retroactively reimburses state and local governments for the cost of incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens. We strongly support this crucial program.
In FY06, $400 million was appropriated for SCAAP to cover the reimbursement costs incurred during the 12-month period ending on June 30, 2005. It is our understanding that pursuant to the Department's guidelines and application requirements for the SCAAP program, state and local governments applied for the FY06 SCAAP funds, before the application deadline of April 11, 2006. As a result of these policies, local officials in our state expressed concern that the $400 million in FY06 SCAAP funding would be subject to rescission.
We were pleased that the Department has confirmed to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies that FY06 SCAAP funding will not impacted, and we look forward to these FY06 payments being made to state and local governments in the near future.
As Members of the House Appropriations Committee, we look forward to continuing our work with you to ensure that the Department's needs are met.
Sincerely,
Adam B. Schiff
Member of Congress
Jerry Lewis
Member of Congress
Michael M. Honda
Member of Congress
John T. Doolittle
Member of Congress
Barbara Lee
Member of Congress
Sam Farr
Member of Congress
http://schiff.house.gov/HoR/CA29/Newsroom/Press+Releases/2007/Schiff+Urges+Attorney+General+to+Protect+Outstanding+FY06+SCAAP+Funding.htm