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Government Relations Update, August 2011
Call to Action: Your Voice Needed to Restore Federal Juvenile Justice Funding
On July 14, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee marked up the bill that contains recommended funding levels for federal juvenile justice programs for FY 2012.
As illustrated in the CJJ “Historical Federal Funding Chart”, the House CJS Subcommittee is proposing to fund the following programs in the following amounts:
- The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) Title II program at $40 million, down $35 million from FY 2010 and down more than $20 million from FY 2011.
- No funding for the JJDPA Title V program.
- No funding for the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG).
- Mentoring at $83 million, down $17 million from FY 2010 and equal to the FY 2011 appropriation.
It is imperative that CJJ members and allies raise their voices and reach out to Senate appropriators. The Senate subcommittee with jurisdiction over federal juvenile justice programs has not introduced its proposal for FY 2012. Therefore, CJJ members and allies have the time and the opportunity to educate Senators so that they include adequate funding for federal juvenile justice programs in their original appropriations bill.
CJJ is asking all SAGs to take three steps over the next several weeks to ensure that Senate appropriators more fully understand the value and impact of federal juvenile justice programs, and more fully understand the expectations of key constituents around these programs.
- Step One - Send a letter to Senator Appropriators
- Step Two - Follow up/reinforce your letter with a phone call to their D.C. office
- Step Three - Visit your Senators’ in their District office.
This multi-stage strategy is designed to communicate and reinforce our message in a number of ways, so we sincerely trust that everyone will participate. Click here to view the full CJJ strategy memo and access all supporting materials, including this template letter , these Talking Points and the “Safeguarding the Future” fact bulletin which highlights the effectiveness of the JJDPA and JABG programs.
These are challenging times, but together we can have an impact! Recall that earlier this year the President revised his budget for funding under the JJDPA and for JABG in direct response to concerns and questions raised by CJJ, State Advisory Groups (SAGs), members of Congress, and many state and national organizations. Raising our voices and concerns was of high value and created a favorable change. We did it once. It’s time to do it again!
For more information, contact Tara Andrews, Deputy Executive Director of Policy and Programs, at andrews@juvjustice.org.
Bill to Eliminate Senate Confirmed Positions Advances; Still No Nominee at OJJDP
June 29, the U.S. Senate approved S. 679, the “Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011.” If enacted, the bill would eliminate Senate confirmation for approximately 200 executive branch positions, including the directors of the five bureaus under the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) at the U.S. Department of Justice: the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). Leaders of these offices would be appointed by the U.S. Attorney General or the Assistant Attorney General for OJP. S. 679 now awaits consideration by the House.
More than 900 days into the Obama Administration, OJJDP remains one of only two offices within OJP where a permanent administrator has yet to be appointed. Eliminating Senate confirmation for OJJDP and other offices would simplify the selection and appointment process. There is a growing concern, however, that eliminating Senate consideration and confirmation of the OJJDP Administrator would diminish the importance and authority of OJJDP, and increase its exposure to further reductions in resources and capacity.
Since 2010, several major newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle and The Washington Post have published editorials calling for the appointment of a permanent OJJDP Administrator. On May 13, nineteen members of Congress, led by the 2011 CJJ A.L. Carlisle Child Advocacy Award recipient, Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT-5th), sent a letter to the President urging him to appoint a permanent OJJDP Administrator as soon as possible.
As SORNA Deadline Passes, Most States Remain Non-Compliant
On July 27, the deadline passed for U.S. states, territories and tribal jurisdictions to come into compliance with Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, also known as the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). States that fail to comply are subject to a 10% withholding of their FY 2012 Byrne JAG allocation. Tribal jurisdictions that fail to comply are subject to a loss of sovereignty over criminal justice matters.
On July 28, the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) at the U.S. Department of Justice announced that Maryland had become only the 14th state to have “substantially implemented” SORNA. More than 70% of U.S. states and territories, and hundreds of tribes, continue to struggle with or oppose compliance. Among those states that have been deemed compliant, some, most notably Ohio, have expended millions of taxpayer dollars defending legal actions that challenge the law’s constitutionality.
As of September 30, 2009 , many parts of the Adam Walsh Act are overdue for reauthorization. It remains to be seen whether the Justice Department will impose the 10% penalty on those states and jurisdictions that remain non-compliant. State policymakers, local authorities, experts, advocates, families and even victims nationwide remain hopeful that Congress will take considered, informed and evidence-based action to correct SORNA’s failures and do what is truly in the best interest of communities, children and families.
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