State Justice Institute Reauthorization Act of 2004

Mr. President, I am pleased that late last night the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2714 with the Leahy-Hatch amendment to reauthorize the highly successful Department of Justice Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program. I thank the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Hatch, for joining me on this amendment. This bipartisan legislation now goes to the president for his signature into law.

Our amendment contains the same legislative language as the Campbell- Leahy-Hatch Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2003, S. 764. The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act passed the Senate by unanimous consent on July 15, 2003, and has been awaiting consideration by the House of Representatives since then.

This measure marks the third time that I have had the privilege of teaming with my friend and colleague Senator Campbell to work on the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program. We authored the Bulletproof Vest Grant Partnership Act of 1998, which responded to the tragic Carl Drega shootout in 1997 on the Vermont-New Hampshire border, in which two State troopers who did not have bulletproof vests were killed. The federal officers who responded to the scenes of the shooting spree were equipped with life-saving body armor, but the state and local law enforcement officers lacked protective vests because of the cost.

Two years later, we successfully passed the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2000, and now we will go 3-for-3 this time around. Senator Campbell brings to our effort invaluable experience in this area and during his time in the Senate he has been a leader in the area of law enforcement. As a former deputy sheriff, he knows the dangers law enforcement officers face when out on patrol. I am pleased that we have been joined in this effort by 12 other Senate cosponsors, including Senator Hatch.

Our bipartisan legislation will save the lives of law enforcement officers across the country by providing more help to state and local law enforcement agencies to purchase body armor. Since its inception in 1999, this highly successful Department of Justice program has provided law enforcement officers in 16,000 jurisdictions nationwide with nearly 350,000 new bulletproof vests. In Vermont, 60 municipalities have been fortunate to receive funding for the purchase of 1,905 vests.

The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2003 will further the success of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program by re- authorizing the program through fiscal year 2007. Our legislation would continue the Federal-State partnership by authorizing up to $50 million per year for matching grants to state and local law enforcement agencies and Indian tribes at the Department of Justice to buy body armor.

We know that body armor saves lives, but the cost has put these vests out of the reach of many of the officers who need them. This program makes it more affordable for police departments of all sizes. Few things mean more to me than when I meet Vermont police officers and they tell me that the protective vests they wear were made possible because of this program. This is the least we should do for the officers on the front lines who put themselves in danger for us every day. I want to make sure that every police officer who needs a bulletproof vest gets one.

Mr. President, I am pleased the Senate will take up the Leahy-Hatch amendment to reauthorize the highly successful Department of Justice Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program. I thank the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Hatch, for joining me on this amendment.

This amendment contains the same legislative language as the Campbell-Leahy-Hatch Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2003, S. 764. The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act passed the Senate by unanimous consent on July 15, 2003, and has been awaiting consideration by the House of Representatives since then.

This measure marks the third time that I have had the privilege of teaming with my friend and colleague Senator Campbell to work on the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program. We authored the Bulletproof Vest Grant Partnership Act of 1998, which responded to the tragic Carl Drega shootout in 1997 on the Vermont-New Hampshire border, in which two state troopers who did not have bulletproof vests were killed. The Federal officers who responded to the scenes of the shooting spree were equipped with life-saving body armor, but the state and local law enforcement officers lacked protective vests because of the cost.

Two years later, we successfully passed the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2000, and I hope we will go 3-for-3 this time around. Senator Campbell brings to our effort invaluable experience in this area and during his time in the Senate he has been a leader in the area of law enforcement. As a former deputy sheriff, he knows the dangers law enforcement officers face when out on patrol. I am pleased that we have been joined in this effort by 12 other Senate cosponsors, including Senator Hatch.

Our bipartisan legislation will save the lives of law enforcement officers across the country by providing more help to State and local law enforcement agencies to purchase body armor. Since its inception in 1999, this highly successful Department of Justice program has provided law enforcement officers in 16,000 jurisdictions Nationwide with nearly 350,000 new bulletproof vests. In Vermont, 60 municipalities have been fortunate to receive to receive funding for the purchase of 1,905 vests.

The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2003 will further the success of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program by re- authorizing the program through fiscal year 2007. Our legislation would continue the Federal-State partnership by authorizing up to $50 million per year for matching grants to State and local law enforcement agencies and Indian tribes at the Department of Justice to buy body armor.

We know that body armor saves lives, but the cost has put these vests out of the reach of many of the officers who need them. This program makes it more affordable for police departments of all sizes. Few things mean more to me than when I meet Vermont police officers and they tell me that the protective vests they wear were made possible because of this program. This is the least we should do for the officers on the front lines who put themselves in danger for us every day. I want to make sure that every police officer who needs a bulletproof vest gets one.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2714, the State Justice Institute Reauthorization Act. As the title indicates, H.R. 2714 reauthorizes the State Justice Institute, SJI. Reauthorization is necessary because Congress last enacted an SJI authorization bill in 1992 for a 4-year authorization period that expired in fiscal year 1996. While the Committee on Appropriations has continued to appropriate $7 million annually for SJI, Congress should also ensure that SJI has the necessary authorization to perform its important work.

Congress created the SJI in 1984 to provide funds to improve the quality of justice in State courts. Congress also directed the SJI to facilitate enhanced coordination between State and Federal courts and develop solutions to common problems faced by all courts. It appears that the SJI has made considerable progress in pursuit of these objectives.

Since becoming operational in 1987, the institute has awarded more than $125 million in grants to support over 1,000 projects. Another $40 million in matching requirements has been generated from other public and private funding sources. SJI is necessary because State court judges and other advocates have historically been weak at restoring resources, especially at the Federal level, from the Department of Justice. Most of the resources they receive at the State level are devoted for personnel and courthouse construction and maintenance, not the educational programs that SJI provides. About one-third of all SJI grants are devoted to educating State judges on how to improve the operations of their courts. The remaining grants are devoted to technology projects such as systems to improve recordkeeping, document imaging, et cetera.

The authorizing statute provides for regular audits of the SJI. The Institute conducts its own oversight of grantees, and the practice of allowing a grantee to draw money for a project only on a monthly or quarterly basis allows SJI to cancel mismanaged projects.

All familiar with the SJI appear to agree it performs worthy work. Federal judges, including Chief Judge Boggs of the 6th Circuit, have contacted me to laud the work of the SJI, and in particular, the educational programs it runs for judges.

The Attorney General gave high marks to the SJI in a November 2002 report which specifically noted that the Institute has been effective, has complied with its statutory mission, and observes that some degree of support for State court innovation and improvement is a Federal interest. It is evident that the SJI deserves reauthorization, H.R. 2714 will do this. I urge my colleagues to support it today.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2714) to reauthorize the State Justice Institute, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2714, the bill currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, Congress established the State Justice Institute as a private nonprofit corporation in 1984. Its purpose is to improve judicial administration in the State courts. SJI accomplishes this goal by providing funds to State courts and to other national organizations or nonprofits that support State courts. SJI also fosters cooperation with the Federal judiciary in areas of mutual concern.

Pursuant to oversight legislation passed in the previous Congress, the

Attorney General, in consultation with the Federal Judicial Center, conducted review of the SJI operations and reported its findings to Congress late last year. The results are encouraging. The Attorney General noted that the Institute has been effective and has complied with its statutory mission, and observed that support for State court innovation and improvement is a Federal interest.

Mr. Speaker, based upon the beneficial work SJI has done, I believe it should be afforded a congressional reauthorization, and that is the purpose of this bill. More specifically, section 2 of the bill authorizes $7 million annually for SJI operations over a 4-year cycle. Appropriated funds under section 2 are to remain available until expended. The last two bills reauthorizing the Institute contain such language which reflects the reality that no grant agency can fully expend all of its funds in the year of appropriation.

In addition, section 3 of the bill authorized the Institute to purchase goods and services from the General Services Administration. Because SJI is not a Federal agency, it is not legally authorized to procure goods and services from the GSA. In some instances, this exclusion can create unnecessary hardship. To illustrate, SJI was recently denied the ability to purchase GSA storage boxes to transfer its records to the National Archives.

Mr. Speaker, in sum, the bill represents a modest authorization for a small but important organization that assists our State court systems. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith).

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act included in the State Justice Institute Reauthorization Act of 2004. This legislation reauthorizes the Grant program until 2007. The current authorization expired on September 30, 2004. Congress has overwhelmingly approved this program twice, both in the 105th Congress and the 106th Congress. The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant program has directly benefited every U.S. state and territory.

A bulletproof vest is one of the most important pieces of equipment an officer can have. Many times the vest can mean the difference between life and death. Every day, law enforcement officers are confronted by violent criminals armed with deadly weapons. While many officers wear vests to protect themselves, an alarming number of officers across the United States are not afforded this same protection because of local budget constraints. The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant program has helped state and local law enforcement to purchase vests. These funds have saved countless lives across the nation.

We must protect those who risk their lives every day protecting our communities. This program has provided more than 1 million of these life saving vests since its inception. In 2004 alone, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant program provided $25 million to state and local law enforcement agencies across America. In turn, this funding helped provide more than 175,000 new bulletproof vests giving vital protection to thousands of law enforcement officer nationwide.

Due to the success of this program, grant applications have steadily increased annually since the program's enactment, yet many municipalities are denied grants due to a lack of funding for the program. This reauthorization will provide an additional three years to work toward full funding for this program, enabling more law enforcement officers to have access to these lifesaving vests.

Please join me as we work together to save more lives, and give our law enforcement officers the necessary tools they need to help them keep our communities safe.