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CJJ Government Relations Alert, September 2011
Call to Action: Your Voice Needed to Preserve Federal Juvenile Justice Funding
On Sept. 15, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up S. 1572, the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) bill that contains recommended FY 2012 funding levels for federal juvenile justice programs. As reflected in the attached CJJ Historic Federal Funding Chart (2002-2012), the Senate CJS bill is an improvement over H.R. 2596, the House CJS bill, which eliminates funding for two key juvenile justice programs. Thanks in large measure to efforts of CJJ members and allies nationwide, S. 1572 preserves funding for the JJDPA Title II and V programs, as well as the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) programs. S. 1572, however, dramatically reduces funding for all three programs as follows:
- $45 million for the JJDPA Title II program, down from $62.3 million in FY 2011.
- $33 million for the JJDPA Title V program, down from $54 million in FY 2011.
- $30 million for JABG, down from $45.7 million in FY 2011.
- In addition, funding for Title V in S. 1572 is entirely earmarked for the Tribal Youth, Enforcement of Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) and gang education programs, leaving nothing to be allocated to state and local jurisdictions for local delinquency prevention initiatives.
The FY 2011 and 2012 budget cycles have been two of the most challenging for juvenile justice in the last decade. This past February, the President’s original budget proposal eliminated funding for Title II, Title V and JABG, replacing them with one competitive grant program or “innovation fund” to reward high-performing states with special funding to achieve evidence based benchmarks. While conceptually appealing, the proposal would have wiped out the core juvenile justice funding for JJDPA and JABG that goes to all states. After hearing from CJJ members and allies, the Administration realigned its proposal to keep core funding for Title II, Title V and JABG, while creating a smaller pot of demonstration/innovation funds. The following month, however, Congress passed and the President signed a bill that cut all three core juvenile justice programs by 17% for the FY 2011 cycle. Even now, state and local jurisdictions are experiencing the impact of these cuts.
Members of Congress are under tremendous pressure to reduce and cut programs to free up monies for jobs. We understand the urgency of need and know, too, that friends on the Hill share our concerns. Yet, it remains critical that CJJ members and allies raise our voices to defend the Senate appropriations numbers for FY 2012, even as we work to improve them. We can do this if we stick together and remain visibly involved. While CJJ staff and members explore any and all avenues to restore the funding before the FY 2012 appropriations bills are finalized, we again ask for your help.
Actions: Please join with CJJ to take the following actions to safeguard and rebuild federal support for JJDPA, JABG, delinquency prevention and juvenile justice reform in your state and across the nation:
- If you have a Senator on the Senate Appropriations Committee: Thank him/her for preserving the Title II, Title V and JABG programs, and educate him/her about the positive impacts of the funds in your state and what would be jeopardized by reduced funding. If your Senator does not sit on the Committee, address your message to Subcommittee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski and Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison.
- Contact CJJ [Tara Andrews at 202-467-0864, ext. 109 and andrews@juvjustice.org] if any member of your SAG has a close working relationship with one or both of your Senators upon which we can build further.
- There is still time to make things better. Please ensure that your SAG and Governor/Chief Executive are up to speed and ready to act when we reach out to you with targeted requests. Please also ensure that your SAG has an active CJJ government relations committee liaison. If you are uncertain, please contact Tara.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support and continued efforts. You are making a difference for youth, families and communities in your state and nationwide.
Rep. Scott Re-Introduces the Youth PROMISE Act
On August 1, Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-3), introduced H.R. 2721, the “Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunity, Mentoring, Intervention, Support and Education Act,” or Youth PROMISE Act. Even in this divided Congress, the Youth PROMISE Act already has bi-partisan support, with three Democrats and three Republicans as original co-sponsors.
As in previous years, the Youth PROMISE Act builds on more than thirty years of research and fifty criminal and juvenile justice experts to support what works to keep or move youth away from criminal gang activity. Under the Youth PROMISE Act, communities facing the greatest youth gang, delinquency and crime challenges will come together to develop and implement a comprehensive local plant to make communities safer, reduce victimization, and help at-risk young people lead law-abiding and healthy lives, free from gangs, delinquency and/or criminal involvement.
In support of the Youth PROMISE Act, on Friday, September 23 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., at the 2011 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference, Rep. Scott hosted an issue forum titled, "The Youth PROMISE Act and the Promise of Our Youth." Speakers included R. Dwayne Betts, Author of A Question of Freedom; Liz Ryan, President and CEO of the Campaign for Youth Justice; Miriam Rollins, National Director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids; and Charles Ogletree, Professor and Director of the Charles Hamilton Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard School of Law. The panel was moderated by Jennifer Bellamy, Legislative Counsel at the ACLU of D.C.
In the last Congress, more than 200 international, national, state and local organizations and jurisdictions signed on in support of the Youth PROMISE Act, including the Children’s Defense Fund, the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators, the National Education Association, the National PTA and the Cities of New York and Los Angeles. CJJ is an original and proud supporter of the Youth PROMISE Act, and we look forward to working with CJJ members and allies to educate Members of Congress about the benefits of the Youth PROMISE approach.
Legislation Introduced to Reauthorize the Adam Walsh Act
On September 8, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI-5), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced H.R. 2870, the Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2011. If enacted, the bill will reauthorize several grant programs under the Adam Walsh Act, including the Sex Offender Management Assistance Program, the Jessica Lunsford Address Verification Grant Program, and programs related to penalizing registration violations and prosecuting cases of the sexual exploitation of children.
As introduced, H.R. 2870 does not make needed policy changes that are advocated by CJJ and many organizations nationwide, namely elimination of the registration mandate for youth who have been adjudicated for certain offenses within the juvenile court. In addition, H.R. 2870 would reduce the authorization level for juvenile sex offender treatment programs from $10 million to only $3 million – weakening the only provision within the statute that has the potential to respond appropriately and effectively to youth commit sex-based offenses.
This past July, 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). As of the date of this publication, only 16 states and territories and less than a dozen tribes have been deemed by the Justice Department to have “substantially implemented” the mandates of SORNA. States that fail to comply are subject to a 10% withholding of their Byrne JAG allocation. Tribal jurisdictions that fail to comply are subject to a loss of sovereignty over criminal justice matters. The Justice Department, however, has yet to impose a penalty on any state, territory or tribe.
As of September 30, 2009, many parts of the Adam Walsh Act are overdue for reauthorization. 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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