Case's House Appropriations Committee Approves Billions to Fight Crime and Make Communities Safer

Press Release

Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) has announced approval by his U.S. House Committee on Appropriations of another key measure for Hawai"i that is among twelve bills to collectively fund the federal government for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 (commencing October 1, 2022).

The $86 billion Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations bill supports the U.S. Department of Commerce, including the International Trade Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology; the U.S. Department of Justice; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); the National Science Foundation (NSF) and more. Case is in his fourth year of service on the Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, with jurisdiction over the bill.

This year's bill and Case's efforts focused especially on combating crime, continuing our nation's leadership in science and protecting our oceans.

"Rising crime, both related and unrelated to gun violence, is of great concern to us all, and must be combatted at all levels of government", said Case. "State and local law enforcement need increased assistance from our federal government to address crime at the state and local level. The more than $700 million to help local and state law enforcement will help not only to investigate and prosecute crime, but will also go to prevention and education programs to stop crime before it happens."

"Approval by my Appropriations Committee also comes just as the U.S. House passed, with my vote, and the President signed the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun violence prevention legislation in nearly 30 years. Coming after still more horrific mass shootings, the Act includes provisions to improve mental health and school security and implement stricter controls on gun purchases, all funded by our bill."

The FY 2023 funding bill makes major additional investments in federal, state and local law enforcement programs, including greatly expanding gun violence prevention efforts. These include:

* $717 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne-JAG), which is an increase of $42 million over the current funding level. Byrne-JAG is the leading federal source of criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions.
* The funds can be used to support a range of program areas including law enforcement; prosecution and court; prevention and education; corrections and community corrections; drug treatment and enforcement; planning, evaluation and technology improvement; and crime victim and witness initiatives.
* $642 million, an increase of $67 million above FY 2022, for Violence Against Women Act programs. These programs support comprehensive, cost-effective responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.
* $277 million for Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Grants, which is an increase of * $31 million over the current funding level. The COPS program is designed to provide funding directly to law enforcement agencies to hire and/or rehire additional career law enforcement officers in an effort to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.
* $150 million for the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative, which supports partnerships between law enforcement and the communities they serve to address violence intervention and prevention programs, including gang and gun violence.
* $110 million for grants to help state governments improves their submissions into the National Instant Criminal Background Check system for gun purchases.
* $90 million for Grants to Reduce the Sexual Assault Kit Backlog.
* $53 million for the Anti-Methamphetamine and Anti-Heroin Task Forces.
* $38.1 billion for the Department of Justice, including $10.7 billion for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and $964 million for the Executive Office for Immigration Review.

"Our funding measure also focuses on our flagship national science programs, which translate into world-leading research and development and science and high-tech engineering projects in our Hawaii. They also ensures that young people across our country can pursue STEM-related education to lead innovation and contribute to a better economy back home," said Case.

The FY 2023 bill's investments in science include:

* $20.7 million to support the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on the Island of Maui, the world's most advanced solar observatory.
* $6 million to support maintenance and repair of Atmospheric Baseline Observatories, including the Mauna Loa Observatory where the famous Keeling Curve proving rapid climate change was developed.
* $150 million for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement, an increase of $13 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, to inspire young people to pursue future careers in science and engineering. This includes $48 million for NASA's Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP), which funds Hawai'i STEN programs.
* $9.3 billion for the NSF, an increase of $793 million.
* $7.9 billion for science programs as NASA, an increase of $291 million above FY 2022, to continue efforts to explore the solar system, other planets and other solar systems. Among other things, this will support space telescopes and efforts to gain scientific knowledge about the Earth's changing climate.

Case also highlighted his efforts to boost funding of federal agencies and programs focused on the world's oceans. Case, who recently returned from Lisbon, Portugal as part of a delegation of Members of Congress representing the United States at the United Nations Ocean Conference, said: "Our world's oceans are in mortal danger from a variety of human-caused factors, including climate change, pollution, debris, overfishing and other over-extraction. We have very limited time to reverse course, and our country and Hawai'i can and must lead the way."

The FY 2023 bill's investments in the oceans and coastal communities include:

* $164 million for the protection, research and management of marine mammals, sea turtles and other ocean species.
* $97 million for the Sea Grant Program, which supports coastal and Great Lakes communities through research, extension and education. These funds help support the Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Program at the University of Hawaiʻi that concentrates on promoting healthy coastal ecosystems, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, resilient communities and economies and environmental literacy and workforce development.
* $68 million for the Sanctuaries and Marine Protected Areas Program, including the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
* $34 million for the Coral Reef Conservation Program.
* $5 million for the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grants.

The bill also included Case's requests for several key U.S. Department of Justice programs, including:

* $675 million for the Legal Services Corporation, which helps ensure equal access to justice under the law for all Americans by providing funding for civil legal aid through organizations like Legal Aid Hawai'i to those who otherwise would be unable to afford it.
* $275 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program. This public-private partnership has centers in all 50 states, including Hawaiʻi, dedicated to serving small and medium-sized manufacturers.
* $70 million for the Minority Business Development Agency. This includes $5 specifically for Native American Business Development Program that awards grants to Tribes and American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian populations to address barriers to economic development.
* $465 million for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an increase of $45 million.
* $122 million for the International Trade Commission, an increase of $12 million.

Case's Appropriations Committee is responsible for allocating some $1.6 trillion in funding to federal government agencies, departments and organizations on an annual basis through twelve separate bills.

The bill now moves on to the full House of Representatives for consideration.

Source