S. 1781Senate115th Congress (2017-2019)In Committee

National White Collar Crime Control Act of 2017

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 15, 2026 at 5:56 PM UTC

The National White Collar Crime Control Act of 2017 reauthorizes a federal grant program to help state, local, tribal and territorial law‑enforcement agencies better prevent, investigate and prosecute white‑collar offenses. It focuses on high‑technology, economic and Internet‑based crimes, including child‑exploitation offenses, by providing training, technical assistance, intelligence‑sharing tools and privacy‑rights guidance. The bill earmarks $13 million each fiscal year from 2018 through 2022 for these activities.

Key Provisions

Amends the 2008 Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act to authorize the Bureau of Justice Assistance to award grants for white‑collar crime training and assistance.
Defines white‑collar crime to include high‑tech/cyber crime, economic/financial fraud, and Internet‑based child exploitation.
Specifies grant program goals: nationwide training, intelligence‑focused policing, investigative support, research, public education, regional training centers, and privacy/civil‑rights compliance.
Eligibility is limited to states, local governments, nonprofits, and higher‑education institutions that can deliver practical training and technical help.
Appropriates $13 million annually for FY 2018‑2022 to fund the grant program.
Requires annual audits by the DOJ Inspector General; entities with unresolved audit findings are barred from receiving grants for two years and may have to repay funds.
Prohibits grants to nonprofits that hold offshore accounts to avoid taxes and mandates disclosure of compensation practices for grant‑receiving nonprofits.
Limits conference spending to $20,000 without prior written approval and requires annual reporting on such expenditures.
Mandates the Attorney General certify annually that audits, exclusions and reimbursements are complete, and requires the Bureau to prevent duplicate grant awards.

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

1 earlier action

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5059-5060)

Judiciary Committee

September 7, 2017

View full timeline

SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

September 7, 2017

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5059-5060)

Judiciary Committee

September 7, 2017

Floor Debate

2 members

What members said about S. 1781 on the floor

1 Republican1 Democrat

Sen. Cory A. BookerD-NJ · Sep 7, 2017

Mr.President, today I rise to speak about the introduction of the Confederate Monument Removal Act. This legislation would properly remove certain statues on display in the Capitol as part of the…

Mr.President, today I rise to speak about the introduction of the Confederate Monument Removal Act. This legislation would properly remove certain statues on display in the Capitol as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection so they can be exhibited elsewhere in the proper historical context. I am proud to introduce this legislation today and I want to thank Representative Barbara Lee for her leadership in the House on this bill.

On July 2, 1864, a law was enacted that created the National Statuary Hall Collection, which allows states to select two statues of deceased individuals to be displayed in the Capitol. States are supposed to choose people ``who have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished civil or military services.'' Figures like George Washington, Samuel Adams, and Dwight D. Eisenhower grace the collection and are prominently on display in the Capitol. The collection is meant to honor patriots who served, sacrificed, or made tremendous contributions to our Nation.

People who served the Confederate States of America do not deserve that honor. These are individuals who took up arms against the Union and inflicted catastrophic death and suffering among United States citizens. Simply put, they fall well short of that high bar.

Moreover, the presence of these statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection ignores the context in which

these monuments were first erected. Statues of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis were erected across the United States in the post- Reconstruction era and during the civil rights movement as symbols of white suppression and defiance of Federal authority. They do not represent Southern heritage and those who advocate thus are engaging in revisionist history and are whitewashing our past.

That is why I am introducing the Confederate Monument Removal Act, a bill that would mandate the removal of all eleven statues of people who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America from the National Statuary Hall Collection in the Capitol within 120 days. The list of statues that would be removed includes Joseph Wheeler of Alabama, Uriah Milton Rose of Arkansas, Edmund Kirby Smith of Florida, Zebulon Vance of North Carolina, Alexander Hamilton Stephens of Georgia, Edward Douglas White of Louisiana, Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, James Zachariah George of Mississippi, Wade Hampton of South Carolina, Robert E. Lee of Virginia, and John Kenna of West Virginia.

The legislation would allow a State who selected the statue to be displayed in the collection to reclaim the statue if they pay for its transportation back to the State. If a State declines to reclaim it back, it would turn possession of the statue over to the Smithsonian, an institution that is more than capable of displaying the statues in the proper historical context and where a constructive dialogue can take place about our Nation's history.

I am grateful that this legislation is endorsed by organizations such as the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Some have argued that this will lead to the removal of other statues and monuments of prominent figures who played an important role in our Nation's history. That is plainly false. This bill only touches on those who were traitors against their Country and whose statues were erected as a symbol of white supremacy.

It is true that the Confederate Monument Removal Act does not remove certain statues in the Capitol that some people find offensive and who arguably should not be honored in such a way. For instance, the bill would not remove the statue of John C. Calhoun, a white supremacist and a vigorous defender of slavery. This is a conversation we as a Nation must have regarding how to best tell the truth of our past.

But surely we can all agree that people who took up arms against their Country should not be venerated in the Capitol, a place all Americans should feel welcomed, encouraged, and inspired. These statues must be moved not just because of who they were in the past, but because of who we are now as a Nation and who we must be to ensure an even better and brighter future for generations to come.

I am proud to introduce the Confederate Monument Removal Act and I urge its speedy passage.

Sen. John CornynR-TX · Sep 7, 2017

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Sen. John CornynR-TX · Sep 7, 2017

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

Reading Mode

Raw Text PDF XML

Introduced in SenateIssued September 7, 2017

115th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1781

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

September 7, 2017

Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mr. Coons, Mr. Hatch, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Grassley) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To reauthorize grant programs to improve the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of economic, high technology, Internet, and other white collar crime.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the National White Collar Crime Control Act of 2017.

Prevention, investigation, and prosecution of economic, high technology, Internet, and other white collar crime

Section 401 of the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008 (42 U.S.C. 3713a) is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:

(b)

Grants

(1)

Authorization

The Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance is authorized to enter into a cooperative agreement with or make a grant to an eligible entity for the purpose of improving the identification, investigation, and prosecution of white collar crime (including each category of such crimes set forth in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (2)) by providing comprehensive, direct, and practical training and technical assistance to law enforcement officers, investigators, auditors and prosecutors in States and units of local government.

(2)

White collar crime defined

For purposes of this subsection, the term white collar crime includes—

(A)

high-tech crime, including cyber and electronic crime and related threats;

(B)

economic crime, including financial fraud and mortgage fraud; and

(C)

Internet-based crime against children and child pornography.

(3)

Purposes

The purposes of this subsection include the following:

(A)

To ensure that training is available for State, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement agencies and officers nationwide to support local efforts to identify, prevent, investigate, and prosecute cyber and financial crimes, including those crimes facilitated via computer networks and other electronic means, and crimes involving financial and economic impacts such as intellectual property crimes.

(B)

To deliver training to State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement officers, and other criminal justice professionals concerning the use of proven methodologies to—

(i)

prevent, detect, and respond to white collar crimes;

(ii)

recognize emerging issues;

(iii)

manage electronic and financial crime evidence; and

(iv)

improve local criminal justice agency responses to such threats.

(C)

To provide operational and technical assistance and training concerning tools, products, resources, guidelines, and procedures to—

(i)

aid and enhance criminal intelligence analysis; and

(ii)

conduct white collar crime investigations and related justice information sharing at the local and State levels.

(D)

To provide appropriate training on protections for privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties in the conduct of criminal intelligence analysis and cyber and electronic crime and financial crime investigations, including in the development of policies, guidelines, and procedures by State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies to protect and enhance privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections and identify weaknesses and gaps in the protection of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.

(4)

Authorized programs

A grant or cooperative agreement awarded under this subsection may be made only for the following programs, with respect to the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of certain criminal activities:

(A)

Programs to provide a nationwide support system for State and local criminal justice agencies.

(B)

Programs to assist State and local criminal justice agencies to develop, establish, and maintain intelligence-focused policing strategies and related information sharing.

(C)

Programs to provide training and investigative support services to State and local criminal justice agencies to provide such agencies with skills and resources needed to investigate and prosecute white collar criminal activities and related criminal activities.

(D)

Programs to provide research support, to establish partnerships, and to provide other resources to aid State and local criminal justice agencies to prevent, investigate, and prosecute white collar criminal activities and related problems.

(E)

Programs to provide information and research to the general public to facilitate the prevention of white collar criminal activities.

(F)

Programs to establish or support national training and research centers regionally to provide training and research services for State and local criminal justice agencies.

(G)

Programs to provide training and oversight to State and local criminal justice agencies to develop and comply with applicable privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties related policies, procedures, rules, laws, and guidelines.

(H)

Any other programs specified by the Attorney General as furthering the purposes of this subsection.

(5)

Application

To be eligible for an award of a grant or cooperative agreement under this subsection, an entity shall submit to the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance an application in such form and manner, and containing such information, as required by the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

(6)

Eligibility

States, units of local government, not-for-profit entities, and institutions of higher education with demonstrated capacity and experience in delivering training, technical assistance and other resources including direct, practical laboratory training to law enforcement officers, investigators, auditors and prosecutors in States and units of local government and over the Internet shall be eligible to receive an award under this subsection.

(7)

Rules and regulations

The Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance shall promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out this subsection, including rules and regulations for submitting and reviewing applications under paragraph (5).

(8)

Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated $13,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022 to carry out this subsection.

(c)

Accountability

All grants awarded by the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance under this section shall be subject to the following accountability provisions:

(1)

Audit requirement

(A)

Definition

In this paragraph, the term unresolved audit finding means a finding in the final audit report of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice that the audited grantee has utilized grant funds for an unauthorized expenditure or otherwise unallowable cost that is not closed or resolved within 12 months from the date when the final audit report is issued.

(B)

Audits

Beginning in the first fiscal year beginning after the date of enactment of this subsection, and in each fiscal year thereafter, the Inspector General of the Department of Justice shall conduct audits of recipients of grants under this section to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of funds by grantees. The Inspector General shall determine the appropriate number of grantees to be audited each year.

(C)

Mandatory exclusion

A recipient of grant funds under this section that is found to have an unresolved audit finding shall not be eligible to receive grant funds under this section during the first 2 fiscal years beginning after the end of the 12-month period described in subparagraph (A).

(D)

Priority

In awarding grants under this section, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance shall give priority to eligible applicants that did not have an unresolved audit finding during the 3 fiscal years before submitting an application for a grant under this section.

(E)

Reimbursement

If an entity is awarded grant funds under this section during the 2-fiscal-year period during which the entity is barred from receiving grants under subparagraph (C), the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance shall—

(i)

deposit an amount equal to the amount of the grant funds that were improperly awarded to the grantee into the General Fund of the Treasury; and

(ii)

seek to recoup the costs of the repayment to the fund from the grant recipient that was erroneously awarded grant funds.

(2)

Nonprofit organization requirements

(A)

Definition

For purposes of this paragraph and the grant programs under this part, the term nonprofit organization means an organization that is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code.

(B)

Prohibition

The Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance may not award a grant under this section to a nonprofit organization that holds money in offshore accounts for the purpose of avoiding paying the tax described in section 511(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

(C)

Disclosure

Each nonprofit organization that is awarded a grant under this section and uses the procedures prescribed in regulations to create a rebuttable presumption of reasonableness for the compensation of its officers, directors, trustees, and key employees, shall disclose to the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, in the application for the grant, the process for determining such compensation, including the independent persons involved in reviewing and approving such compensation, the comparability data used, and contemporaneous substantiation of the deliberation and decision. Upon request, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance shall make the information disclosed under this subparagraph available for public inspection.

(3)

Conference expenditures

(A)

Limitation

No amounts made available to the Department of Justice under this section may be used by the Attorney General, or by any individual or entity awarded discretionary funds through a cooperative agreement under this section, to host or support any expenditure for conferences that uses more than $20,000 in funds made available by the Department of Justice, unless the head of the relevant agency or department provides prior written authorization that the funds may be expended to host the conference.

(B)

Written approval

Written approval under subparagraph (A) shall include a written estimate of all costs associated with the conference, including the cost of all food, beverages, audio-visual equipment, honoraria for speakers, and entertainment.

(C)

Report

The Deputy Attorney General shall submit an annual report to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives on all conference expenditures approved under this paragraph.

(4)

Annual certification

Beginning in the first fiscal year beginning after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Attorney General shall submit, to the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, an annual certification—

(A)

indicating whether—

(i)

all audits issued by the Office of the Inspector General under paragraph (1) have been completed and reviewed by the appropriate Assistant Attorney General or Director;

(ii)

all mandatory exclusions required under paragraph (1)(C) have been issued; and

(iii)

all reimbursements required under paragraph (1)(E) have been made; and

(B)

that includes a list of any grant recipients excluded under paragraph (1) from the previous year.

(d)

Preventing duplicative grants

(1)

In general

Before the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance awards a grant to an applicant under this section, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance shall compare potential grant awards with other grants awarded under this section to determine if duplicate grant awards are awarded for the same purpose.

(2)

Report

If the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance awards duplicate grants to the same applicant for the same purpose the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report that includes—

(A)

a list of all duplicate grants awarded, including the total dollar amount of any duplicate grants awarded; and

(B)

the reason the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded the duplicate grants.