[ISN] FC: Ashcroft asks for cash to break crypto, protect networks

From: InfoSec News (isnat_private)
Date: Sun Apr 29 2001 - 01:27:21 PDT

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    ---------- Forwarded message ----------
    Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2001 13:32:18 -0400
    From: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private>
    To: politechat_private
    Subject: FC: Ashcroft asks for cash to break crypto, protect networks
    
    *********
    
    Here's an excerpt:
       The Department of Justice, with the strong support and
       leadership of your Subcommittee, has acted aggressively to prevent,
       mitigate, and investigate acts of terrorism, including the use of
       weapons of mass destruction, and the emerging threat of cybercrime.
       For FY 2002, we are requesting $107.96 million in additional funding
       to support the Department's counterterrorism, cybercrime, and
       counterintelligence efforts.
       [...]
       Within this amount, $28.14 million
       will support the FBI's counter-encryption capabilities, and the
       development of cyber technologies for the interception and management
       of digital evidence.
    
    -Declan
    
    *********
    
                                     STATEMENT
    
                                         OF
    
                                   JOHN ASHCROFT
    
                          BEFORE THE UNITED STATES SENATE
    
                            COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
    
                   SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE,
    
                         THE JUDICIARY AND RELATED AGENCIES
    
                                   April 26, 2001
    
       Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
    
       It is both an honor and a pleasure to appear before you this morning
       to present President Bush's first budget request for the Department of
       Justice. For Fiscal Year 2002, the President's budget seeks $24.65
       billion for the Department of Justice, including $20.94 billion in
       discretionary spending authority and $3.71 billion in mandatory
       resources, such as fees. This budget seeks to fulfill our basic
       federal law enforcement responsibilities, address emerging technology
       and critical infrastructure needs, and focus on the Administration's
       priorities of reducing gun crime, combating drug use, guaranteeing the
       rights of all Americans, and empowering communities in their continued
       fight against crime.
    
       While the fiscal year 2002 budget request maintains the same overall
       amount of discretionary spending authority as was provided by this
       Subcommittee in FY 2001, we have managed to enhance a number of key
       areas. The budget includes a general shift in spending from state and
       local law enforcement in order to support our core federal law
       enforcement mission, and better target assistance to areas of greatest
       need, such as crime in our schools, crimes committed with firearms,
       and violence against women. The Community Oriented Policing Services
       (COPS) program is continued at a somewhat reduced level, with
       resources targeted for school safety, law enforcement technology
       needs, and reducing DNA backlogs. The COPS request does not disrupt or
       affect the commitments made to put 100,000 more police on the streets
       and, in fact, goes further by proposing to hire up to an additional
       1,500 School Resource Officers.
    
                  Basic Law Enforcement  The Core Federal Mission
    
       The budget I present to you today first addresses the basic law
       enforcement responsibilities of the Department of Justice. The mission
       of the Department is clear: to enforce the law and defend the
       interests of the United States according to the law; to provide
       leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just
       punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; to administer and
       enforce the nation's immigration laws fairly and effectively; and to
       ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.
       The FY 2002 budget includes $1.057 billion in program increases to
       enable the Department to carry out its mission, particularly in the
       areas of detention and incarceration, antiterrorism, cybercrime, and
       counterintelligence.
    
       Increased Detention and Incarceration Capacity
    
       The number of inmates in the Federal Prison System has more than
       doubled since 1990 as a result of tougher sentencing guidelines,
       mandatory minimum sentences, the abolition of parole, and increased
       federal law enforcement efforts. This surge in the prison population
       continually tests the limits of our detention and incarceration
       capacity. The FY 2002 budget for the Department of Justice includes a
       $949.5 million increase in funding to support the federal
       responsibility of detaining individuals awaiting trial or sentencing
       in federal court, and incarcerating inmates who have been sentenced to
       prison for federal crimes.
    
       The rapid growth in the federal inmate population is expected to
       continue. Despite the investment of nearly $5 billion for prison
       construction over the past decade, the prison system is currently
       operating at 32 percent over its rated capacity -- up from 22 percent
       at the end of 1997. These conditions could jeopardize public safety
       and cannot be ignored. The FY 2002 budget seeks an additional $809.27
       million for the Bureau of Prisons to reduce overcrowding and
       accommodate future growth. Specifically, $669.97 million is requested
       to fund the construction of three Federal Corrections Institutions and
       four United States Penitentiaries; partial site and planning funds for
       two female facilities and two male facilities; and $139.3 million is
       requested for the activation of the Federal Corrections Institute in
       Petersburg, Virginia, and the United States Penitentiary and work camp
       in Lee County, Virginia; and, the contract confinement costs to meet
       the anticipated increase in the federal prison population.
    
       To increase the detention capacity and staffing necessary to keep pace
       with the growth in INS enforcement activities, the Department's
       request includes an increase of $74.2 million. Within this amount is
       $42.3 million in new resources to support the staffing,
       transportation, medical, and removal costs associated with the
       utilization of an additional 1,607 detention beds in FY 2002. And,
       $31.9 million in new resources will support detention planning and
       construction costs associated with additional detention bedspace and
       other improvements at INS Service Processing Centers. INS's detention
       and removal efforts will suffer if additional reliable bedspace is not
       created. In many INS districts, contracting for detention space is not
       a viable option, considering the remoteness of the locations in which
       INS operates.
    
       The workload of the United States Marshals Service is, in many ways,
       unpredictable in that the Marshals' organization must meet the needs
       of the Judiciary and our investigators and prosecutors. The Marshals
       do not control the number of threats that judges may be confronted
       with, nor the number of prisoners coming into its custody. For FY
       2002, our request includes $64.4 million in increased funding for the
       United States Marshals Service to cover the medical and housing costs
       associated with an increase of one million jail days for Marshals
       Service detainees held in non-federal facilities; to address the
       anticipated workload increases as a result of the D.C. Revitalization
       Act; for the staffing and equipping of courthouses that are new or
       undergoing significant renovations; and to support the costs of
       increased prisoner movements.
    
       Also included within the Department's requested increase for
       incarceration and detention is a critically needed $1.65 million for
       the United States Parole Commission to support anticipated workload
       increases associated with its takeover of the District of Columbia's
       parole revocation and supervised release hearing functions, as
       outlined in the D.C. Revitalization Act.
    
       Counterterrorism, Cybercrime, and Counterintelligence Efforts
    
       Preventing terrorism, deterring computer crime, and thwarting foreign
       espionage are among the most serious challenges facing law enforcement
       today. The Department of Justice, with the strong support and
       leadership of your Subcommittee, has acted aggressively to prevent,
       mitigate, and investigate acts of terrorism, including the use of
       weapons of mass destruction, and the emerging threat of cybercrime.
       For FY 2002, we are requesting $107.96 million in additional funding
       to support the Department's counterterrorism, cybercrime, and
       counterintelligence efforts.
    
       The nation's growing dependency on technology systems has resulted in
       a heightened vulnerability of our banking system, critical
       transportation networks, and vital government services, while also
       significantly increasing the incidence and complexity of crime. To
       address the emerging cyber threat, the FY 2002 budget includes $33
       million in increased resources. Within this amount, $28.14 million
       will support the FBI's counter-encryption capabilities, and the
       development of cyber technologies for the interception and management
       of digital evidence. For the U.S. Attorneys, $2.95 million is included
       to support 24 new positions for the prosecution of crimes committed
       using the Internet. And, $1.9 million is included for the Criminal
       Division for 14 new positions to continue coordinating the rising
       number of investigations and prosecutions of multi-jurisdictional
       national and international intrusion; denial of service attacks and
       virus cases; and to provide increased network security and encryption
       capabilities for its automated infrastructure.
    
       To combat the threat of terrorism, the FY 2002 budget includes $39.4
       million in new funding. For the FBI, $32 million is requested for
       security and investigative duties at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt
       Lake City, Utah; for increased security requirements at various FBI
       locations; and, to support its incident response readiness
       responsibilities. In addition, recognizing the critical role state and
       local public safety agencies have in managing the consequences of any
       terrorist event involving weapons of mass destruction, the
       Department's budget request includes $220.5 million to continue the
       Office of Justice Programs' Counterterrorism programs in FY 2002 and
       ensure state and local response readiness. For the INS, $6.59 million
       in new funding is included to establish intelligence units along our
       northern and southern borders. These units will monitor terrorist
       activities and smuggling operations, and assist in tracking the
       movement of illicit narcotics, weapons, and other contraband across
       our nation's borders.
    
       The Department's FY 2002 budget also requests $31.6 million in
       additional funding to allow the FBI to more completely and effectively
       assess and defeat foreign intelligence threats to our national
       security. Included within this amount is funding for the Criminal
       Division to continue assisting the FBI with investigations involving
       counterintelligence, particularly those involving espionage and high
       technology export violations.
    
                    Technology and Critical Infrastructure Needs
    
       Coordination between federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement
       agencies is crucial to crime solving and criminal apprehension. The
       pooling of information and resources can greatly increase efficiency
       and decrease the time involved in solving a case. Because law
       enforcement agencies have developed a reliance on one another for
       accurate and timely information, our crime fighting agencies must
       maintain up-to-date information systems and develop secure processes
       for sharing this information. The FY 2002 budget request includes $302
       million in new funding to address these needs, focusing on systems
       integration, upgrades, network reliability, efficient processes, and
       state-of-the-art technologies. In addition, the Department plans to
       request the use of $67 million from its Working Capital Fund for
       infrastructure needs.
    
       For the FBI, our budget request includes $67.7 million to support the
       second year of Trilogy, the FBI's 3-year information technology
       upgrade plan. Another $6.5 million will permit the acquisition of
       communication circuits that will support faster transmission of data
       and greater network reliability. For activation of the new FBI
       Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, we are seeking $1.16 million in
       direct spending and the use of up to $40 million from the Department's
       Working Capital Fund. To continue the critically needed integration of
       the INS and FBI Fingerprint Identification Systems, we are seeking $28
       million  $1 million in direct spending and the use of up to $27
       million from the Working Capital Fund. This funding will be used to
       improve INS fingerprinting capabilities, and integrate the INS
       Automated Biometrics Identification System (IDENT) with the FBI's
       Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). This
       investment of resources will better equip us to prevent a recurrence
       of an incident similar to the Rafael Resendiz-Ramirez serial killings
       that occurred in 1999.
    
       To directly assist state and local law enforcement agencies with their
       technology needs, the FY 2002 budget includes an increase of $225.7
       million in grant funding. Specifically, the Department is requesting
       $20.7 million for Crime Identification Technology Act (CITA) funding;
       $35 million to address the backlog of state convicted offender DNA and
       crime scene DNA samples that exist nationwide; $35 million for the
       Crime Lab Improvement Program (CLIP) to improve the general forensic
       science capabilities of laboratories; $35 million for the Criminal
       Records Upgrade Program to promote compatibility among criminal
       history, criminal justice, and identification record systems
       nationwide; and $100 million for technology grants for state and local
       law enforcement under the COPS program. The FY 2002 budget
       significantly increases the funding available to state and local law
       enforcement for technology initiatives  a natural follow-on to the
       COPS program that provided additional officers on the street. Now we
       need to ensure state and local law enforcement is adequately equipped
       with the best technology to do its job.
    
                           Bush Administration Priorities
    
       The budget I present to you today also focuses on several key areas
       that are reflective of the priorities of the Bush Administration.
       During my confirmation hearings, I said I believe a citizen's
       paramount civil right is safety. Americans have a right to be secure
       in their persons, homes and communities. Gun violence, violence
       against women, drug crime, and sexual predators all threaten to deny
       this most fundamental right. It is a core responsibility of
       government, led by the Attorney General and the Department of Justice,
       cooperating with local law enforcement officials, to secure this
       right. Our FY 2002 budget provides $650 million in additional funding
       to advance this effort. Children do not learn in schools overrun by
       neighborhood violence. Jobs will not be found in communities where
       criminals own the streets, and no American who now feels threatened
       should have to move to live in a safer neighborhood.
    
       Reducing Gun Crime
    
       I announced at the outset of my tenure as Attorney General that one of
       my top priorities would be the formation of a new firearms enforcement
       initiative, along with a task force to develop and implement this
       initiative. This group includes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and
       Firearms and various components from within the Department of Justice,
       including the Office of the Attorney General, FBI, Criminal Division,
       Executive Office of United States Attorneys, and others. They have
       been meeting regularly and I look forward to hearing their
       recommendations in the next several weeks.
    
       There is no question that we need a renewed commitment to the vigorous
       enforcement of existing laws addressing gun crime. The recent spate of
       gun violence on school campuses and the alarming rate at which gang
       related violence occurs in schools, on playgrounds, and at parks
       throughout the country highlight the need for federal prosecutors to
       work with state and local law enforcement to pursue serious juvenile
       offenders. I intend to renew enforcement efforts in this area by
       building on successes in existing jurisdictions and by developing a
       comprehensive strategy to target gun violence. The FY 2002 budget
       request for the Department of Justice takes the first step toward this
       goal and includes $153.78 million in increased resources to vigorously
       enforce gun laws through increased prosecutions, strategic approaches
       to crimes committed with firearms, and ensuring that child safety
       locks are available for every handgun in America.
    
       For the U.S. Attorneys, $9 million is included to support Project
       Sentry, a new federal-state law enforcement partnership to identify
       and prosecute juveniles who violate state and federal firearms laws
       and the adults who supply them with guns. This funding will be used to
       hire a prosecutor in each of the 94 U.S. Attorneys' Offices around the
       country who will focus on gun crimes involving or affecting juveniles,
       including school-related violence and trafficking firearms to minors.
    
       Another $20 million will be provided to Project Sentry through the
       COPS program and the Juvenile Justice Title V program. This funding
       establishes safe school task forces across the country that will also
       prosecute and supervise juveniles who carry or use guns illegally, as
       well as the adults who illegally furnish firearms to them.
    
       Within the Office of Justice Programs, $49.78 million is requested for
       a new gun violence program that will provide grants to encourage
       states to increase the prosecution of gun criminals and assist them by
       providing funding to establish programs that target gun criminals
       through increased arrests and prosecutions and public awareness to
       deter gun crime. This funding will support Project Exile and Project
       Ceasefire type programs that vigorously enforce our gun laws and send
       a clear signal that our culture will not tolerate the illegal use of
       firearms.
    
       Another $75 million is included for Child Safe, a new program that
       will provide funds to ensure child safety locks are available for
       every handgun in America. The Office of Justice Programs will provide
       $65 million annually to state and local governments on a
       dollar-for-dollar matching basis. Locks will be distributed by local
       municipalities, counties, or private organizations. The annual federal
       matching funds will also be available to match private contributions
       by organizations seeking assistance in the goal of providing locks for
       every handgun in America. The remaining $10 million will be spent,
       annually, on administrative costs and advertising, including a
       national toll-free hotline to make sure all parents are aware of the
       program.
    
       Combating Drug Use
    
       The cost of illegal drug use to this nation continues to rise and is
       borne by all Americans through tax dollars for increased law
       enforcement, incarceration, treatment programs, and medical needs.
       Estimates of the total cost exceed $100 billion annually, yet do not
       begin to capture the human costs associated with drug abuse that are
       measured in wasted human capital, and the pain and suffering of many
       American families. The FY 2002 budget for the Department of Justice
       includes $77.2 million in additional resources for law enforcement
       agencies to combat illegal drug use.
    
       Specifically, our budget requests $58.16 million in enhancements for
       the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Included within this amount
       is $30 million and 3 positions for DEA's global information technology
       and intelligence network, FIREBIRD. This funding will enable the DEA
       to complete its deployment, provide network security, and support
       technology renewal of the system. Another $15 million and 62 positions
       are included to provide critical support for DEA's role in the
       interagency Special Operations Division, and DEA's Investigative
       Technology programs, particularly for investigations associated with
       the Southwest Border, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.
       To meet mission critical requirements within the laboratory services
       program, $13.1 million and 69 positions are also included. This
       request will give DEA sufficient chemist resources to address a
       growing backlog of exhibits, and establish a laboratory equipment base
       that will better support program operations.
    
       The production and use of methamphetamine (meth) has been on the rise
       over the past few years, and the number of meth laboratories has
       increased dramatically across the country. In 1998 and 1999 combined,
       law enforcement agencies seized meth labs in every state except 3.
       Meth lab enforcement and clean-up efforts are complicated by the
       presence of hazardous materials produced during the manufacturing
       process. Cleaning up these labs is a costly and risky business posing
       life-threatening consequences to our law enforcement officials who
       come across these labs, as well as severe and toxic environmental
       damage to the surrounding area. State and local law enforcement
       agencies can be overwhelmed by the need to confront even one large
       laboratory. Meth dealers and drug organizations have targeted rural
       communities, places where many of the local law enforcement agencies
       have neither the expertise nor the resources to deal with this serious
       threat. The FY 2002 budget continues to provide $48 million for the
       Office of Justice Programs to assist state and local law enforcement
       agencies with the costs associated with meth cleanup and to aid meth
       enforcement.
    
       While law enforcement is an effective and essential tool in combating
       the violent crime associated with illegal drug use in communities
       throughout our nation, treatment for the individual abuser is also
       important. Our FY 2002 request includes $14 million to expand
       residential substance abuse treatment in federal and state prison
       systems. We have also requested $5 million for the National Institute
       of Justice to expand the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program
       to 15 additional sites across the country, so that more communities
       will have sound data about the links between drugs and crime on which
       to base their law enforcement policies and offender treatment
       practices.
    
       Guaranteeing Rights for All Americans
    
       The Department of Justice has a unique role in guaranteeing the rights
       of all Americans. This role includes promoting the enforcement of our
       nation's civil rights laws and deterring violent crimes against women.
       Through the efforts of the Civil Rights Division, the Community
       Relations Service, the United States Attorneys Offices, the FBI, and
       the Office of Justice Programs, the Department seeks to protect the
       civil rights and liberties guaranteed to all Americans. The FY 2002
       budget includes an increase of $105.7 million to further its role in
       this area.
    
       Specifically, we have requested a $102.5 million increase in Violence
       Against Women Act programs to support new and existing programs.
       Authorized under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection
       Act of 2000, the budget includes: $15 million for the Safe Havens for
       Children Pilot Grant Program; $40 million for the Legal Assistance for
       Victims Program; $10 million for the Grants to Reduce Violent Crimes
       Against Women on Campus Program; $5 million for a new Elder Abuse,
       Neglect and Exploitation Program; and $7.5 million for education and
       training to end violence against and abuse of women with disabilities.
    
       Our request also includes $1.2 million in funding to support three
       studies by the Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice
       Statistics. The first study will deal with police initiated stops of
       motorists for routine traffic violations. The second study will deal
       with deaths while in law enforcement custody as required under the
       Deaths in Custody Act. The third study will measure victimization of
       the population with disabilities in the United States.
    
       For the Civil Rights Division, the FY 2002 budget includes a $2
       million enhancement to address several important initiatives,
       including enforcement of the newly enacted Trafficking Victims
       Protection Act of 2000, which affords expanded protections and
       services for trafficking victims and creates several new federal
       crimes for which the Division is the lead component with respect to
       enforcement. With the FY 2002 allocation, the Division will be able to
       hire additional prosecutors and conduct a community outreach program.
    
       The FY 2002 funding will also help the Civil Rights Division implement
       the President's New Freedom Initiative to assist persons with
       disabilities, including expanded outreach to America's small business
       sector, improved access to information technologies and voting, and
       swift implementation of the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision to
       provide services to people with disabilities in community-based
       settings. The FY 2002 budget includes funding for new attorney hires
       that will allow the Civil Rights Division to undertake a broad voting
       rights initiative aimed at ensuring voter access and the integrity of
       the voting process. Our FY 2002 budget request also includes funding
       to increase the Division's presence in employer and other communities
       to prevent immigration-related unfair employment practices.
    
       Empowering Communities in their Fight Against Crime
    
       The active involvement of communities throughout America is a critical
       and necessary resource in our fight against crime. By broadening the
       base of resources available at the local level, communities will be
       better equipped to provide their citizens with the tools necessary to
       ensure a safe environment in which their children can grow and learn.
       Nowhere is this more evident than in the success of the Weed and Seed
       Program where communities work in partnership with federal, state, and
       local law enforcement agencies to target criminals, "weed" them out of
       their neighborhoods with swift and certain prosecution, and then go to
       work to take back the houses, schools, and recreation centers, that
       made the communities a safe haven and home to so many. President
       Bush's FY 2002 budget includes a $25 million increase for the Weed and
       Seed program  building upon an initiative that was first started
       during his father's Administration  and with the active support of
       many on this Subcommittee.
    
       The FY 2002 budget also includes $5 million for the development of a
       faith-based, pre-release pilot program at four federal prisons. The
       pilot will include male and female programs at different geographic
       sites and security levels. This faith-based initiative -- which will
       be voluntary and open to inmates of any faith, or no faith at all --
       aims to combat crime and curb recidivism so that ex-offenders can
       remain ex-offenders. Religion and crime are age-old enemies, and a
       growing body of empirical evidence shows the potency of the "faith
       factor" to change behavior. This model initiative, with a strong focus
       on one-on-one, post-prison aftercare, will offer moral guidance and a
       caring community to help ex-offenders re-enter society with hope and
       responsibility.
    
       Improving Immigration Services and Border Enforcement
    
       The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has two principal
       functions: enforcement and service. Right now, the INS's performance
       is widely criticized. This Administration intends to turn the agency
       around. Restructuring of the INS will be a top priority. The FY 2002
       budget includes an additional $240.14 million for immigration-related
       activities.
    
       The Bush Administration is committed to building and maintaining an
       immigration services system that ensures integrity, provides services
       accurately and in a timely manner, and emphasizes a culture of
       respect. The FY 2002 budget includes $45 million in increased
       resources to reduce the backlogs in benefits processing. This request,
       combined with $35 million in base funding and $20 million in premium
       processing fees, represents the first $100 million installment in a
       five-year, $500 million initiative to provide quality service to all
       legal immigrants, citizens, businesses, and other INS customers. It
       will enable INS to establish and accomplish a universal six-month
       processing standard for all immigration applications and petitions
       and, through employee performance incentives, make customer
       satisfaction a high priority.
    
       The FY 2002 budget also includes $75 million for the INS to add 570
       new Border Patrol agents in 2002, with plans to add another 570 in
       2003. With these 1,140 additional agents, the total increase of 5,000
       Border Patrol agents authorized by the Illegal Immigration Reform and
       Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) will be achieved.
       Approximately 11,000 agents will be deployed along the nation's
       northern and southern borders by the end of 2003, 11 percent more than
       the 2001 level of 9,800.
    
       In support of the additional agents, another $20 million is requested
       in FY 2002 for the INS to increase the deployment of force multiplying
       border enforcement technology. The Integrated Surveillance
       Intelligence System (ISIS) will provide day and night visual coverage
       of the border, can be deployed in rugged terrain and in vast open
       areas, and serves as a deterrent to potential illegal border crossers
       in areas where Border Patrol agents are not immediately visible.
    
       To address chronic space shortages and facility deficiencies, the FY
       2002 budget includes $42.73 million for INS Border Patrol facility
       construction. Many of the Border Patrol facilities were built prior to
       the 1970's and cannot accommodate the tremendous growth in the number
       of agents.
    
       For the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), the FY 2002
       budget includes $4.85 million in increased funding to coordinate with
       INS initiatives, which are anticipated to increase annually the
       Immigration Judge caseload and the Board of Immigration Appeals
       caseload by 10,000 cases. The budget also includes an additional $1.2
       million for the U.S. Attorneys to meet immigration workload generated
       from a rise in habeas corpus petitions filed by detainees held in INS
       custody indefinitely. These detainees have been issued an order of
       deportation but cannot be removed because their country of origin will
       not accept them. Many detainees challenge the legal authority of the
       INS to hold them by petitioning for a writ of habeas corpus. Another
       $1.36 million is requested for the Office of the Inspector General to
       address corruption and civil rights violations involving Department
       employees along the Southwest border.
    
       To enhance the prosecutorial resources of county prosecutors located
       near the Southwest border, our FY 2002 request includes $50 million.
       Thousands of federal drug arrests occurring near the Southwest border
       are referred to county prosecutors because the quantity of drugs
       seized is too small to meet the threshold set by local U.S. Attorneys
       for prosecution. The Department will devote $50 million to assist
       counties near the Southwest border with the costs of prosecuting and
       detaining these referrals. Grants will be awarded based on Southwest
       border county caseloads for processing, detaining, and prosecuting
       drug and alien cases referred from federal arrestees.
    
       The Administration will propose splitting INS into two agencies with
       separate chains of command, but reporting to a single policy official
       in the Department of Justice. I support this restructuring, believe
       its time has come, and look forward to working with the Subcommittee
       as the proposal moves through the Congress.
    
       Redirection of State and Local Resources
    
       The FY 2002 budget provides over $4.2 billion for state and local law
       enforcement grant programs. Included within the request are newly
       created initiatives or enhancements to existing programs to address
       specific crime problems. These proposals include: an increase in
       Violence Against Women Act funding of more than 35 percent; an
       expansion of the Weed and Seed program; more funding for drug
       treatment in state prisons; increased assistance for state
       prosecutors; and new anti-gun violence programs.
    
       Reductions are made primarily in four areas: 1) Byrne discretionary
       grants;
    
       2) the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program; 3) the Local Law
       Enforcement Block Grant Program; and 4) State Prison grants. These
       funding reductions are recommended for programs that have fulfilled
       their original purpose, outlived their authorizations, or are less
       essential to core federal law enforcement functions. This redirection
       in funding will allow the Department to meet many of the federal law
       enforcement agency priorities that I have highlighted for you here
       today.
    
                                     Conclusion
    
       Chairman Gregg, Senator Hollings, Members of the Subcommittee, I have
       outlined for you today the principal focus of President Bush's FY 2002
       budget request for the Department of Justice. I am new to the job of
       Attorney General of the United States and am still learning about many
       of the programs we have under our jurisdiction. You both have
       monitored spending by the Department for some time and I look forward
       to your advice and counsel.
    
       Thank you. I would be pleased to answer any questions you might have.
    
    ###
    
    
    
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    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sun Apr 29 2001 - 23:48:31 PDT