WASHINGTON, DC – An amendment offered by Rep. Mike Honda (CA-15) to increase funding for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) from $375 million to $405 million was adopted in the full committee markup of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill.

"The issue of SCAAP funding is extremely important to my district and to the state of California," Rep. Honda said. "The SCAAP program helps to reimburse states for the costs of incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens, for which the federal government should ultimately be responsible. At current funding levels, states are only being reimbursed at 40% of the demand. The difference is particularly dramatic for border states that bear the largest burden. As a former county supervisor and member of the California state legislature, I know from my own experience how critical this funding is to our state and local governments."

"The California State Association of Counties applauds Congressman Honda for his strong leadership in securing an additional $30 million for SCAAP in the fiscal year 2008 House CJS bill," said Paul McIntosh, Executive Director of the California State Association of Counties. "The additional funding will help to ensure that California's counties are more adequately reimbursed for the significant incarceration costs associated with the detention of undocumented criminals. CSAC looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Honda on this critically important issue as the fiscal year 2008 budget process continues."

On May 31, 2007, a coalition of 17 governors sent a letter of support to increase SCAAP funding to Chairman Alan Mollohan and Ranking Member Rodney Frelinghuysen of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. Governors from the following states signed unto the letter: California, Arizona, Kansas, New York, Oklahoma, Washington, Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Texas, Oregon, Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada, and Florida. The governors wrote: "[T]he funds provided through SCAAP are critical to our states because without them, our taxpayers bear the full brunt of the federal government’s continued failure to secure the nation’s borders. . . . [U]ntil the federal government can achieve operational control of our borders, every effort should be made to help state and local governments cover a greater share of the considerable expense we incur to incarcerate criminal aliens."