To provide grants for law enforcement training and equipment to combat methamphetamine labs.

September 16, 2003

Mr. BAIRD (for himself, Mr. CANNON, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. NUNES, Mr. KIND, Mr. OSE, Mr. BEREUTER, Mr. TERRY, Mr. CASE, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. DICKS, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. INSLEE, and Mr. MCDERMOTT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

To provide grants for law enforcement training and equipment to combat methamphetamine labs.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Methamphetamine Equipment, Training, Hardware, Material, and Safety Knowledge Grant Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT TO COMBAT METHAMPHETAMINE LABS.

(a) IN GENERAL- Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3711 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new part:

`PART CC--MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT TO COMBAT METHAMPHETAMINE LABS

`SEC. 2901. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

`(a) IN GENERAL- The Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance is authorized to make grants to States, units of local government, and Indian tribes to provide, to State, local, and tribal law enforcement officers, protective equipment and training for use in investigating and responding to offenses related to methamphetamine clandestine drug laboratories.

`(b) USES OF FUNDS- Grants awarded under this section shall be--

`(1) distributed directly to the State, unit of local government, or Indian tribe; and

`(2) used to provide, to law enforcement officers in the jurisdiction of the grantee--

`(A) protective equipment specified in subsection (a); or

`(B) training specified in subsection (a), but only if such training is carried out by a program certified by the Federal Government or by the grantee's State.

`(c) MATCHING FUNDS-

`(1) IN GENERAL- The portion of the costs of a program provided by a grant under subsection (a)--

`(A) may not exceed 50 percent; and

`(B) shall equal 50 percent, if such grant is to a unit of local government with fewer than 100,000 residents.

`(d) ALLOCATION TO SMALL JURISDICTIONS- Not less than 50 percent of the amounts granted under this section in a fiscal year shall be granted in a manner that provides such training or equipment to law enforcement officers of communities with fewer than 100,000 residents.

`(e) PREFERENTIAL CONSIDERATION- In awarding grants under this part, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance may give preferential consideration, if feasible, to an application from a jurisdiction that--

`(1)(A) has the greatest need for protective equipment and methamphetamine clandestine drug laboratory training; and

`(B) has a methamphetamine clandestine drug laboratory-related seizures per capita rate at or above the national average as determined by the National Clandestine Laboratory Database of the El Paso Intelligence Center (known as EPIC); or

`(2) has consolidated local law enforcement effort by creating multijurisdictional law taskforces.

`(f) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS- Funds available under this part shall be awarded, without regard to subsection (e), to each qualifying unit of local government with fewer than 100,000 residents. Any remaining funds available under this part shall be awarded to other qualifying applicants.

`SEC. 2902. APPLICATIONS.

`(a) IN GENERAL- To request a grant under this part, the chief executive of a State, unit of local government, or Indian tribe shall submit an application to the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance in such form and containing such information as the Director may reasonably require.

`(b) REGULATIONS- Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this part, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance shall promulgate regulations to implement this section (including the information that must be included and the requirements that the States, units of local government, and Indian tribes must meet) in submitting the applications required under this section.

`SEC. 2903. DEFINITIONS.

`For purposes of this part--

`(1) the term `State' means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands;

`(2) the term `unit of local government' means a county, municipality, town, township, village, parish, borough, or other unit of general government below the State level;

`(3) the term `Indian tribe' has the same meaning as in section 4(e) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)); and

`(4) the term `law enforcement officer' means any officer, agent, or employee of a State, unit of local government, or Indian tribe authorized by law or by a government agency to engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, or investigation of any violation of criminal law, or authorized by law to supervise sentenced criminal offenders.'.

(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- Section 1001(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 3793) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

`(25) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out part CC, $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 through 2006.'.

END