FY15 CJS Full Committee Markup Bill Summary

• State, Local, and Tribal Law Enforcement.  The CJS bill is the major Federal funding source for our State, local, and tribal partners who fight violent crime, combat violence against women and children, and support victims of crime.  State and local law enforcement need the assistance provided by Federal resources to continue to keep our communities safe, vibrant, and strong.  The bill provides $2.3 billion to help State and local law enforcement with the tools they need to fight violent crime, gangs, and terrorism.  This amount is $10 million more than the President’s budget request and $11 million less than the fiscal year 2014 level and includes funding for key grant programs such as $376 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, $181 million for COPS hiring grants, $430 million for Violence Against Women Act programs, and $258 million for juvenile justice and mentoring grants.

• Federal Law Enforcement.  Gangs and illegal drug use are on the rise with 30,000 gangs operating in America, the highest number in 14 years, and with heroin use rising 79 percent between 2007 and 2012.  The bill provides nearly $26 billion to fund the critical core national security, law enforcement, investigation, and prosecution missions of the Justice Department to protect the safety and security of our communities, and to help ensure that criminal perpetrators are brought to justice.  This amount is $13 million more than the request and $271 million more than the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. 

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – The bill provides $8.3 billion for FBI salaries and expenses, $13 million above the request and $45 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level, to investigate terrorism, violent crime, economic fraud, crimes against children, and cybercrime.

• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – The bill provides total resources of $2.0 billion for the DEA, which is the same as the President’s request and the fiscal year 2014 enacted level, to target and dismantle criminal narcotics activities, and regulate and combat prescription drug abuse. 

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) – The bill provides the requested level of $1.2 billion for the ATF, which is $22 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level, to enforce Federal firearms and explosives laws.

• U.S. Marshals Service – The bill provides $1.2 billion for U.S. Marshals Service, which is the same as the President’s request and the fiscal year 2014 enacted level, to apprehend dangerous fugitives, protect the Federal judiciary, and transport prisoners for court proceedings. 

• U.S. Attorneys – The bill provides $1.9 billion for the U.S. Attorneys, which is $6 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $5 million below the President’s request, to prosecute cases in international and domestic terrorism, mortgage fraud and financial crime, human trafficking, child exploitation, and firearms and violent crime. 

• Federal Prison System – The bill provides the requested level of $6.8 billion for the salaries and expenses of the Bureau of Prisons, the same as the request and an increase of $35 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level.  This funding will maintain staffing levels at existing prisons to ensure safe and adequate facilities to house the inmate population, continue the activation of newly constructed or acquired prison facilities, and expand reentry programs for eligible inmates to successfully transition back into the community.

• Gun Violence.  This bill fights gun violence with $1.1 billion in resources to help keep our homes, schools, and neighborhoods safe.  This is the same as the requested level and $35 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level.  The bill provides $142 million to the FBI, an increase of $13 million, to run instant background checks so legal buyers can exercise their Second Amendment rights while keeping guns out of the hands of known criminals. It will give ATF an additional $22 million for a total of $798 million for criminal enforcement, investigations, and inspections tools to enforce gun laws, trace firearms found at crime scenes, and keep illegal guns away from traffickers and criminals.  The bill also provides $58.5 million for all states to improve the quality of criminal and mental health records so interstate background checks are more effective and $15 million to train local police on how to respond to active shooter situations so police and bystanders can get out safely when the unthinkable happens.  The program for comprehensive school safety is funded at $75 million through DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs which will allow communities to conduct school safety assessments and fill gaps in school safety plans. 

• Weather.  In 2013, the United States suffered seven major weather and climate disasters that are estimated to cost more than $1 billion dollars each.  One-third of U.S. GDP is affected by climate and weather, including everything from farmers trying to protect livestock and crops, to cities relying on energy from wind turbines and solar panels, to air travelers trying to get home safely and on time despite storms.  That is why this bill puts $3.2 billion in the Federal checkbook to make American weather prediction and operations the gold standard, an increase of $117 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level.

• Cybersecurity.  Roughly half of American adults have had their personal information exposed by hackers in the last 12 months.  Chinese military operatives stand indicted for stealing nuclear, steel, and solar industry trade secrets.  Cybercrime does not just happen inside of a computer and impacts of an attack can be devastating off-line.  This bill ensures that the Department of Justice can continue to respond to attacks, and catch and prosecute the criminals behind the keyboard by funding cybersecurity for the Department of Justice at $722 million, the same as fiscal year 2014. The bill helps NIST build partnerships that will protect critical infrastructure like the power grid, so dot-com can protect itself and so, working together, the government and the private sector get cyber technology into the hands of those who can use it through the $15 million National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence.  NSF is funding merit-reviewed, next generation cyber research like new techniques for building networks that are secure from the start with $159 million for cybersecurity R&D.

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is funded at $900 million, which is $50 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and the same as the request. This funding enables a set of initiatives that will catalyze innovations, develop measurements, and provide technical resources to promote the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers and aspiring start-ups.  NIST’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) will help manufacturers accelerate development and adoption of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies for making new, globally competitive products. 

• The bill provides the full request of $7.2 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF), an increase of $83 million over fiscal year 2014.  The increase will provide 140 more competitive grants supporting 2,000 more technicians, teachers, scientists, and students in fiscal year 2015.

• No agency represents the Nation’s scientific prowess like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).  The dream of space inspires schoolchildren to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  NASA scientists and their private sector and university partners are peering into the big bang and the origins of the universe, drilling into rocks on Mars, researching cures for salmonella on the International Space Station, building the vehicles that will let humans explore beyond low earth orbit, preparing to analyze samples from the Sun, and looking back to Earth to understand and protect our planet.  The $17.9 billion in the bill for NASA will preserve a NASA portfolio balanced among science, aeronautics, technology, and human space flight investments.  Moreover, it will keep NASA in the forefront of innovation, inspiring private companies to build new crew transportation, and fueling a new satellite servicing industry that can revive, refuel, and rejuvenate defunct communications satellites. The amount provided for NASA is $439 million above the President’s request and $254 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level.

• Promoting International Trade and Protecting American Companies – U.S. exports support more than 11 million American jobs.  The International Trade Administration (ITA) is funded at $480 million, $10 million more than the fiscal year 2014 enacted level, to help U.S. farmers, manufacturers, and service providers sell their products overseas.  ITA has trade promotion offices in 77 countries and more than 100 American cities.  The bill also supports the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center to aggressively tackle unfair trade practices hurting American businesses.

• Provides robust funding for Inspectors General (IGs), the taxpayers’ watchdogs, and directs agencies to implement IG and GAO report recommendations;

• Sustains or reduces reception and representation funds at the fiscal year 2014 level, which was a cut of 25 percent below fiscal year 2010 levels, so agencies reduce costs of executive meetings, receptions, and conferences, or buy fewer promotional items like t-shirts, hats, and mugs;

• Prohibits lavish banquets and conferences by requiring agencies to report conference spending to the IGs;

• Requires the IGs to do random audits of grant funding to find and stop waste and fraud;

• Establishes an early warning system on cost overruns and techno-boondoggles, which requires agencies to notify the Committee when costs of projects grow by more than 10 percent;

• Caps costs for major acquisition projects, including weather satellites and space telescopes;

• Prohibits grants and contracts from being awarded to tax cheats and felons;

• Bans Federal funding for official portraits; and

• Improves oversight of funding for official travel and advertising expenses.

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