FY 2000 BUDGET REQUEST HIGHLIGHTS

The Department of Justice's FY 2000 budget will provide a $317 million increase over the 1999 level. The total $21.09 billion budget includes $4.15 billion from the Violent Crime Reduction Trust Fund, and $2.55 billion funded through a variety of fees.

The budget highlights include:

• $1.28 billion for a 21^st century policing initiative, helping communities reduce crime by employing new technology and personnel.

• $122.55 million in increased funding to combat cybercrime and support the Department's counterterrorism efforts.

• $738.24 million in increased funding to detain and incarcerate federal prisoners, and to hire law enforcement personnel.

• $148.1 million in increases to fight drug abuse and curb drug trafficking.

• $61.2 million in increased funding to provide state and local assistance for the reduction of youth violence, the prevention of juvenile recidivism, and to prosecute violations of federal firearm laws.

• $22.61 million in increases for civil rights initiatives, including new grants for health care provider protection.

• $152.35 million in new resources to guard against illegal immigration and promote legal entry to the United States.

• $124.21 million to fund public safety initiatives on Indian lands.

• $93.13 million to improve the Department's information resources management.

• $35 million in increased funding for the Department's litigation efforts, including $20 million in new resources to recover the expenses of federal health care programs for tobacco-related diseases.

CONTINUING THE FIGHT AGAINST CRIME AND YOUTH VIOLENCE

Crime has declined steadily for six consecutive years -- violent crime rates have fallen more than 21 percent since 1993 -- the violent crime arrest rate for juveniles has dropped 23 percent from 1994 to 1997. The Department's FY 2000 budget request will provide funds to help communities across the nation continue fighting, reducing and preventing all aspects of violent crime and youth violence.

21^st Century Policing Initiative

The Department's FY 2000 budget requests $1.28 billion for a 21^ST Century Policing Initiative, a proposal that evolved from the COPS program. The initiative is designed to help communities maintain and reduce crime through a series of proposals aimed at assisting state and local law enforcement agencies. The initiative relies on more law enforcement officers on the street who are well educated, trained, and equipped. The criminal justice community needs the newest technology available to be able to keep pace with sophisticated criminals.

Law enforcement today must have a solid technological infrastructure. This means possessing adequate computer hardware to utilize software such as geographic information systems for crime mapping, and having adequate resources to reduce the backlog of DNA samples. It means providing interoperable wireless communication systems and global information networks. It also means developing sophisticated technology such as the ALERT car, and improving the overall forensic science capabilities of state and local labs. The federal government cannot and should not fund all these requirements. But it can provide seed money for pilot projects, demonstration programs, one-time technological upgrades and laboratory equipment. A systematic approach requires addressing the needs of prosecutors as well as law enforcement. And it means focusing efforts of community crime prevention.

• $600 million to hire more law enforcement officers and to provide training, education and equipment. The resources will be used to fund between 30,000 and 50,000 more law enforcement officers over the next five years, with a focus on crime "hot spots." Of this amount, $25 million will be used to continue the discretionary grant program begun in 1999 that provides bulletproof vests to state, local and tribal governments for use by law enforcement officers. This funding also includes $30 million to continue the Police Corps Program and $20 million for the National Police Officer Scholarship Program, which will provide educational assistance to law enforcement officers. Another $20 million will fund programs to combat violence in schools and $50 million will help economically distressed communities retain officers.

• $350 million to help state and local law enforcement agencies tap into new technologies that will allow them to fight crime more effectively. This Crime-Fighting Technologies Program will promote telecommunications and systems compatibility among criminal justice agencies, foster improvement of the forensic sciences capabilities of state and local labs, and encourage the use of technologies to predict and prevent crime. The program has three elements:

• First, $100 million will fund a Crime Analysis Program. This program will provide money for research, technical assistance, evaluation, and grants to use and improve crime-solving, data sharing, and crime forecasting technologies. The funds will also be used to promote crime mapping nationwide and to promote sophisticated crime analysis models. This program will help police combine real-time information about crime on the streets with the resources to find criminals and prevent future crime in a highly targeted way.

• Second,$125 million will improve public safety communications. This funding will be spread among several initiatives:



• $80 million for the Public Safety Wireless Telecommunications Assistance Program. The goal of this program is to ensure that state and local public safety wireless communications systems are compatible with federal law enforcement radio systems. Currently, every federal, state, and local law enforcement agency operates separate tactical radio networks in every metropolitan area in the country. This program will provide grants to states to help them develop comprehensive telecommunications system plans and fund demonstration grants. The program will assist jurisdictions in implementing public safety communication systems, and offer technical assistance to help jurisdictions in the planning and development process. Demonstration grants will be administered by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications Information Administration.


• $20 million for the Global Criminal Justice Information Network Initiative. This initiative seeks to develop a nationwide network of criminal justice information systems where state and local authorities will have immediate access to information needed to help them on the job. With this funding, the Office of Justice Programs can expand the assistance it is already providing to state and local governments by funding a limited number of planning grants. The grants will be used by states, which would work with their local governments to develop strategies for integrating their existing criminal justice information systems. Pilot projects will also be conducted. Funding will also be provided to develop standards, guidelines, and protocols for information sharing, and analysis tools to facilitate interoperability.


• $10 million for continued base funding for the NIJ Technology Centers. These centers help law enforcement and corrections practioners identify appropriate technology solutions for specific problems. For example, NIJ helped Utica, New York improve its case closure rate for arson from 2 percent to 52 percent, with a 100 percent conviction rate, by providing them with tools such as a digital camera system to record suspects' faces at vulnerable buildings.


• $15 million for other police communications improvements, including further development of the ALERT car. The ALERT car allows officers to enter data electronically at the scene of a crime, accident, or traffic stop, and receive responses without returning to their vehicles. Officers may use hand held units linking electronically the information from the car to the unit. The ALERT system also allows officers to transmit accurate voices and images while at the scene. The open architecture of the system will allow industry to quickly develop and integrate new technologies in the ALERT car.

• Third, $125 million will provide for Crime-Solving Technologies, which will promote the use of high-end technology, such as DNA analysis, to investigate and prevent crime. This program has four elements:



• $15 million to eliminate the 1 million convicted offender DNA sample backlog at state and local crime labs. Currently, analysts find one "hit" or match per 1,000 samples entered into the FBI's national database (CODIS). At this rate, eliminating the 1 million case backlog could result in 1 thousand hits or more.


• $5 million for continued base funding for NIJ's DNA Research and Development Program. The goal of this multi-year program, started in 1999, is to reduce the time and cost of performing DNA analysis.


• $55 million to establish the Crime Lab Improvement Program (CLIP). This new program will be an expanded version of the DNA Identification Grant Program. CLIP seeks to improve the general forensic sciences capabilities of labs, by awarding grants to state and local governments to improve their investigative and analytic capabilities. Funding will also be used to provide research, technical assistance, and training to help inform agencies about lab capabilities that are available nationwide and to provide guidance on the types of equipment to purchase.


• $50 million to upgrade criminal history, criminal justice, and identification record systems; promote compatibility and participation in federal, state, and local systems; and capture information for statistical and research programs, as authorized by the Crime Identification Technology Act of 1998. This expands the scope of the Criminal Records Upgrade Program to include the purposes authorized under this Act.

• $200 million for a Community Prosecutors Grant Program. This includes $150 million in grants to hire, redeploy, and train prosecutors to interact directly with the community (i.e, neighborhood DAs) and $50 million for innovative community-based programs.

• $125 million for a Community Crime Prevention Program, which will provide grants that will engage the entire community in preventing and fighting crime. Examples of how these funds could be used include: involving faith-based organizations in juvenile crime prevention, recruiting seniors to help police, establishing citizens' police academies and teaching neighborhood residents problem solving skills, promoting police partnerships with juvenile justice and child welfare organizations, partnering with local environmental groups to crackdown on gang-run illegal dumping in the inner city, and establishing business-led police foundations that promote professional policing.

• $6 million for the Prisons at Work Demonstration Program. This program will develop national models and strategies to assist state prison systems that are trying to increase inmate employment and transition offenders to full-time employment upon release.

Preventing Youth Violence

The Department's FY 2000 budget proposal includes $56.2 million to reduce juveniles' illegal access to guns, conduct a full evaluation of a program aimed at providing early intervention and offer a comprehensive approach for reducing juvenile crime. The funds will also be used to develop a program designed to prevent underage drinking, drinking and driving, and alcohol-related crimes.

Office of Justice Programs

• $10 million earmarked within the Title V, At Risk Children's Program, for the Prevention and Reduction of Youth Gun Violence. This program, currently being implemented and evaluated in 4 cities, seeks to reduce juveniles' illegal access to guns and address the reasons they carry and use guns in violent exchanges. Communities participating in the program are required to implement 7 program strategies which together represent a comprehensive approach to addressing the prevention, intervention and suppression of youth gun violence. This increase will enable the Department to provide approximately $300,000 in grants to 20-25 new communities to implement this program, $1 million to provide technical assistance and training to assist the sites, and $1.5 million to help evaluate this effort.

• $4 million to allow the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to conduct an evaluation of its Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Offenders. This strategy calls for early intervention for juveniles engaged in high risk behaviors and a range of graduated sanctions to respond to the needs of each offender while protecting the community. It is currently being implemented in 5 states, with an additional 3 states identified to begin implementation. This increase will allow OJJDP to evaluate the success of the comprehensive strategy by tracking the number of sites that have completed integration of the strategy into their performance review process. Data will be collected regarding the juveniles served to determine both how the strategy affected risk and protective factors, and whether these changes resulted in a decrease in recidivism or initiation of delinquent behavior.

• $35 million in grants for states and units of local government to develop alternative methods of punishment for young offenders instead of traditional forms of incarceration and probation. These methods would include alternative sanctions, restitution programs, education and job training programs, and correctional options such as electronic monitoring and community-based and weekend incarceration.

• $7.2 million to fund a national demonstration initiative on alcohol and crime. Of this amount, $4 million will be used to award grants to 13 communities to develop comprehensive community-level enforcement and prevention programs aimed at combating underage drinking, drinking and driving, and alcohol-related crimes so that the link between alcohol abuse and crime can be broken. The remaining money will be used to conduct additional research and develop statistics on the relationship between alcohol and crime and to disseminate effective practices dealing with alcohol abuse.

Firearms Prosecutions

United States Attorneys

• $5 million and 58 positions (41 attorneys) to conduct intensive firearms prosecution projects. To reduce the threat of firearms violence, this initiative is committed to insuring effective investigation and prosecution of firearms offenders, violent felons who possess guns, and armed drug traffickers; and to disrupting illegal firearms markets through collaborative federal, state and local partnerships. Building on the success achieved in reducing violent crime in Boston, Mass., and Richmond Va., comprehensive strategic plans will be developed for the prosecution, prevention and disruption of gun violence through the cooperative efforts of law enforcement, local government and community based groups.

CYBERCRIME AND COUNTERTERRORISM

The United States relies heavily upon its interconnected telecommunications and automated information systems for basic services, such as energy, banking/finance, transportation, and defense. The Department's FY 2000 budget includes a $122.54 million increase to expand efforts to protect the Nation's critical information infrastructure from cyber-attacks and to fight domestic and international terrorism.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC)

• $1.65 million to support the NIPC mission, by designing and implementing a training regimen. This funding will provide for 5 regional conferences, 6 Joint Intelligence Community working groups, 50 state and local training conferences, and continuing education for cyber investigators. The mission of the NIPC is to identify, investigate, and prevent threats and unlawful acts targeting the critical infrastructures of the United States. These acts include illegal intrusions into government computer networks, protected civilian computers, and the national information infrastructure. Under a Presidential Decision Directive, all Executive Departments and agencies are instructed to share information about threats, warnings of attacks, and actual attacks on critical government and private sector infrastructures with NIPC.

• •$11.39 million and 108 positions (60 agents) to create up to 12 field National Infrastructure Protection and Computer Intrusion (NIPCI) squads and provide equipment for 26 other field offices. NIPCI squads, the field entity of NIPC, investigate computer intrusions and computer crimes, provide investigative support to criminal and national security investigations, and provide infrastructure security threat assessments.

Computer Analysis and Response Teams (CART)

• $9.86 million and 79 positions for 17 headquarters examiners, 62 field examiners, forensic equipment, supplies, and new technology to keep pace with workload increases and the complexities of computer-related crimes. The widespread use of computers and the rapid advancement in computer systems technology have combined to increase dramatically the volume and complexity of computer evidence in high technology criminal investigations.

Counter-Encryption

• $9.63 million and 13 positions to develop technological capabilities to obtain access to plaintext in investigations where encryption is encountered.

Network Data Interception

• $4.2 million and 7 positions to support court-authorized electronic surveillance in cyber-intrusion cases involving computer networks.

Construction

• $9 million to modernize the Hazardous Devices School (HDS) at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. The HDS is the only formal domestic training program for state and local law enforcement to learn safe and effective bomb disposal procedures. The funds will help the school to make modifications to accommodate additional classes and ensure students receive realistic, high threat bomb disposal training.

Criminal Division

• $1.76 million and 13 positions (9 attorneys) to enable the Criminal Division to keep pace with the changing legal and technological environment. Computer crime continues to increase as more people develop proficiency in manipulating electronic data and navigating computer networks, and as worldwide access to the Internet continues to skyrocket. The Division's attorneys are actively working with other government officials (e.g., the FBI, Department of Defense, NASA), the private sector (including hardware and software vendors and telecommunications companies), academic institutions, and foreign representatives to develop a global response to cyberattacks. These attorneys, who are responsible for resolving unique issues raised by emerging computer and telecommunications technologies, litigate cases, provide litigation support to other prosecutors, train federal law enforcement personnel and coordinate international efforts to combat computer crime.

United States Attorneys (USAs)

• $7.3 million and 87 positions (55 attorneys) in support of computer and high technology crime. The USAs need additional resources to handle cases of national interest which are due, in part, to the rapid growth of terrorism, computer and other high tech crimes. Increasingly, attorneys are confronted with cases involving sophisticated computer use by terrorists and other criminals. More prosecutors with an understanding of computer technology are required.

General Administration

• $27 million for the Attorney General's Counterterrorism Fund, established in response to the Oklahoma City bombing. The funds will be used to reimburse departments and agencies for costs incurred in support of countering, investigating, or prosecuting domestic and/or international terrorism; to pay out rewards; to restore the operational capacities of offices destroyed or damaged by domestic or international terrorist acts; to ensure that essential government functions continue during a time of emergency; to protect the Nation's critical infrastructure; to pay for costs associated with the proposed National Domestic Preparedness Office; and to help design the Federal Intrusion Detection Network.

$2 million of the Attorney General's Counterterrorism Fund will be used for the Federal Intrusion Detection Network (FIDNET). The FIDNET will provide all federal agencies with intrusion detection systems, as well as a centralized capability to analyze unauthorized entries. The Counterterrorism Fund will also be used to support the initial design of the system, which must be consistent with privacy statutes (e.g., the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 and the Privacy Act of 1974) and the statutory responsibilities to ensure computer security (the Computer Security Act of 1987 and the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996). As part of the design effort, DOJ will conduct a comprehensive legal analysis of the proposed system.

• $357 thousand and 5 positions for the Office of Intelligence and Policy Review to hire 2 attorneys and 3 paralegals to handle Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) applications and counterterrorism work.

State and Local Domestic Preparedness Support

• $38.5 million and 7 positions to expand OJP's domestic preparedness efforts. The President's budget proposes transferring to OJP the $135 million appropriated in the Counterterrorism Fund in 1999 for state and local domestic preparedness assistance. In addition, it proposes redirecting $31.5 million of these resources, which, when combined with the requested increase of $38.5 million, will help fund the following 5 enhancements:

• $45 million for the Bomb Technician Equipment Program, which will provide state and local bomb technician squads with the specialized equipment necessary to detect and react to a chemical or biological weapon. This program is administered through the FBI.

• $6 million to expand the First Responder Equipment Acquisition Grant Program, which provides grants to help jurisdictions procure equipment to protect first responders, detect biological and chemical agents, collect the agents and decontaminate the environment. This equipment is essential to building our capability to effectively respond to weapons of mass destruction.

• $9 million for the operations of the Center for Domestic Preparedness at Fort McClellan, Alabama. The Center houses the Chemical Defense Training Facility, which is the only "live-agent" training facility in the United States. It provides first responders with hands-on training necessary to effectively plan for and respond to incidents of domestic terrorism involving chemical or biological agents and nuclear and explosive devices. With these funds, the training operations will be able to remain at Fort McClellan despite the increased costs OJP will face after the army base formally closes in September.

• $7 million for a new Law Enforcement First Responder Training Program, consisting of a 2-day basic awareness course which will provide "train-the-trainer" and "on-site training" approaches to law enforcement officers. This will allow them to fulfill their role as first responders to a weapons of mass destruction terrorist incident.

• $3 million to expand OJP's targeted technical assistance program, designed to provide reactive, individualized technical assistance to state and local jurisdictions participating in OJP's domestic preparedness programs.

State and Local Cybercrime Training

• $1.9 million in new resources for a total of $3.9 million of availability for the National White Collar Crime Center (NWCCC) to train state and local law enforcement and regulatory agencies about computer crime. The funds will support the NWCCC's role as the primary state and local liaison and training arm of the National CyberCrime Training Partnership. The NWCCC will also act as a clearinghouse, providing information on all federal computer crime training available to state and locals, as well as a "yellow pages" of resources available in forensic computer science, as well as computer and network investigations.

DETENTION AND INCARCERATION

The number of federal detainees has increased annually by an average of 13 percent during the past decade, and by even more the past few years. The federal prison population has increased by 142 percent during the past decade. The Department's FY 2000 budget provides $738.24 million in new initiatives for detention and incarceration programs.

U.S. Marshals Service

• $119.6 million in added resources to fund costs associated with approximately 8.87 million contract jail days, 2.1 million above the anticipated 2000 base level. The detainee population, especially along the Southwest Border, has grown considerably over the last few years due to significant increases in law enforcement personnel at the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Border Patrol.

Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)

• $411 million and 32 positions for new prison construction. This request consists of funding for the full construction costs of 3 prisons (2 of which will add capacity for District of Columbia felons), site and planning funding for 6 prisons (including 3 that will add capacity for BOP to house long-term, non-returnable INS detainees), and construction of inmate work program space.

• $86.81 million and 1,295 positions to activate 5 facilities (4,320 beds), scheduled to be opened in 2000: 1 minimum security camp; 1 medium security facility with a camp; and 3 Metropolitan Detention Centers (MDC's). Activation of the medium security prison with a camp in Victorville, California, will add 1,408 beds, while the minimum security camp in Forrest City, Arkansas will add 256 beds. These activations are needed to address the 25 percent overcrowding rate systemwide. Activation of the 3 MDC's in Houston, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia will add much needed detention bed space (2,656 beds) in the Northeast and South Central regions.

• $46.72 million and 18 positions for an additional 4,000 contract prison beds to accommodate the increasing number of short and long term non-U.S. citizen inmates and detainees, including 1,000 beds to enable BOP to contract for the detention of 1,000 long-term, non-returnable INS detainees.

• $34 million and 8 positions to meet the conditions of the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997, which specifies that at least 2,000 District of Columbia sentenced felons shall be housed in contract facilities by December 31, 1999.

• $27 million and 18 positions to modernize and repair the many aging and overcrowded facilities that are in need of upgrades.

• $2.09 million and 31 positions for residential and community based transitional drug treatment programs. This expansion will increase the drug abuse treatment program capability by 2,000 inmates a year.

Office of Justice Programs

• $10 million for a total of $35 million for the Cooperative Agreement Program (CAP) to enable the USMS and INS to obtain detention space in cities where the detainee populations are large and detention facilities are limited. CAP provides capital investment funding to selected state and local governments in return for long-term, guaranteed bed space for federal detainees or illegal aliens.

United States Parole Commission

• $1.02 million and 12 positions for the Parole Commission to continue making parole decisions for District of Columbia Code prisoners, and to assume its new responsibilities for parole revocation hearings for District of Columbia Code parolees on August 5, 2000.

CURBING DRUG TRAFFICKING AND ABUSE

Drug use and its damaging consequences cost our society more than $110 billion annually. Drug abuse is a contributing factor to spousal and child abuse, property and violent crime, the spread of AIDS, workplace and motor vehicle accidents, and absenteeism in the workforce. Illicit drug trafficking thrives on a culture of crime, violence and corruption throughout the world.

To control the flow of illegal drugs and cut down on the demand, the Department is dedicating $7.9 billion in FY 2000, an increase of 2.5 percent over FY 1999, including growth in both direct federal, state and local assistance. Of this amount, DEA's law enforcement resources will grow to $1.469 billion in FY 2000, including $23.073 million in program enhancements.

Zero Tolerance Drug Supervision Initiative

Office of Justice Programs

A $112.1 million increase to fund a $215 million initiative in 2000 to promote drug testing and treatment. The funds will support the following three programs:

• $10 million in additional funding (for a total of $50 million) for the Drug Courts Program, which targets nonviolent offenders. This discretionary grant program allows for fund to plan, establish, or enhance state and local drug courts that provide specialized treatment, rehabilitation, and supervision of certain nonviolent substance-abusing offenders.

• $100 million to establish a Drug Testing and Treatment Program that would provide discretionary grants to states, local government, state and local courts, and Indian tribes. The grants will support programs to implement comprehensive drug testing policies and to establish appropriate interventions to illegal drug use for criminal justice populations. Systematic drug testing is an important tool for criminal justice agencies concerned with controlling drug abuse among offender populations. When compared to substance abusers who voluntarily enter treatment, those coerced into treatment through the criminal justice system are just as likely to succeed.

• $2.1 million to provide a total of $65.1 million for the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program. This program provides formula grants to states for use by state and local governments to develop and implement residential substance abuse treatment programs. The programs are conducted within state and local correctional facilities where inmates are incarcerated for sufficient time.

Reducing Juvenile Drug Abuse

Office of Justice Programs

• $20 million within the Juvenile Justice Program for the Drug Prevention Demonstration Program. The Drug Prevention Demonstration Program is designed to develop, demonstrate and test programs to stress to young people that drug use is risky, harmful and unattractive. In 2000, the program will fund up to 280 new sites, reaching approximately 1,000 middle/junior high school students per site. The program will also provide training and technical assistance to the 140 currently funded sites, and evaluate the programs at the sites.

Monitoring Drug Abuse

Office of Justice Programs

• $4.8 million to expand the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring System (ADAM) from 35 sites to 50 sites -- the only federally-funded drug use prevalence program which directly addresses the relationship between drug use and criminal behavior. Increasing the number of program sites will expand the ability to directly inquire into drug problems in particular cities, and allow the program to more accurately estimate drug use at the national level. In addition, the Department will initiate an outreach effort to learn more about the relationship between drugs and crime in understudied areas such as rural, suburban and Native American lands in the 35 existing sites.

Drug Law Enforcement

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

• $9 million and 27 positions for the Special Operations Division (SOD) to establish a Telecommunications Section and to provide additional support staff to meet growing security and administrative demands of its electronic intercept program. This includes $7.72 million in special funds to meet the immediate needs of the SOD enforcement investigative operations. The main function of SOD is to manage and coordinate multi-jurisdictional investigations between DEA offices and among other federal agencies (i.e., FBI, U.S. Customs Service and the Department's Criminal Division).

• $1.07 million and 25 positions for the Diversion Control Fee Account to improve the quality of service to the registrants and to improve overall management, including: $648,000 and 17 positions for the registration process to improve customer service to DEA's registrants; $231,000 and 5 positions to improve the timeliness in conducting drug reviews necessary for establishing appropriate regulatory controls (i.e., legal drug scheduling); and $194,000 and 3 positions to conduct data analysis on legal drug trends, which is necessary for identifying investigative leads in illegal drug diversion activities.

Criminal Division

• $1.13 million and 13 positions (9 attorneys) to enable the Criminal Division (CRM) to support DEA's SOD. Additional resources will enable CRM to provide direct support to SOD, increase efforts devoted to prosecuting the complex cases that result from SOD investigations, and support the processing of Title III wiretaps.

Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces

In the FY 2000 President's budget, the Department proposes to eliminate the consolidated Interagency Crime and Drug Enforcement (ICDE) appropriation and transfer the resources from that account into the direct appropriations of the participating components. The mission and functions of the nine Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) presently supported by the consolidated appropriation will remain unchanged by this administrative action. The budget requests for the participating components reflect resource increases totaling the base amount that would have been requested for the ICDE appropriation in FY 2000, had it remained a consolidated appropriation. The OCDETF Executive Office will continue to provide central management and policy guidance for the program, including direct management of the State and Local Overtime Program.

CIVIL RIGHTS

The Department of Justice plays a major role in the Administration's efforts to protect the civil rights of all Americans. For the Civil Rights Division, the FY 2000 President's budget seeks $82.2 million, an increase of 19 percent over the 1999 enacted level. This represents the largest increase for the Civil Rights Division in nine years.

The additional resources will enable the Civil Rights Division to continue to play a critical role in coordinating civil rights enforcement among all the federal civil rights agencies. The funding also will permit the Department to significantly expand its investigations and prosecution of criminal civil rights cases, increase its fair housing and fair lending enforcement efforts, and address violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Civil Rights Division

Prosecuting Civil Rights Violations

During FY 2000, the Civil Rights Division seeks additional resources to devote increased attention to misconduct by law enforcement officials and criminal violations of the nation's civil right laws. Specific initiatives will include:

• $646 thousand and 10 positions (6 attorneys) to prosecute hate crime violations.

• $401 thousand and 6 positions (4 attorneys) to continue efforts to deter the victimization of migrant workers and other minorities -- a violation of the involuntary servitude and peonage statutes.

• $1.08 million and 16 positions (10 attorneys) to combat police misconduct.

Fighting Housing and Lending Discrimination

The Department's FY 2000 budget includes $1.87 million to improve the battle against housing and lending discrimination. This increase complements increased resources provided to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that will likely result in additional cases being referred to the Department. Resources will be allocated as follows:

• $996 thousand and 10 positions (3 attorneys) to expand the Department's in-house Fair Housing Testing Program. The program uses pairs of testers to root out discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, disability and familial status.

• $596 thousand and 9 positions (5 attorneys) to enhance the Department's fight against discrimination in home mortgage lending and in business lending.

• $274 thousand and 4 positions (3 attorneys) to bring additional cases resulting from increased activity by HUD.

Eliminating Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities

The Department's FY 2000 budget includes $1.9 million to enable the Civil Rights Division to continue and expand successful Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) initiatives, including:

• $1.3 million to support a mediation program that seeks to resolve complaints as an alternative to litigation.

• $117 thousand and 2 positions to improve the Civil Rights Division's ability to provide technical assistance, including advice from architects, to assist small businesses and housing providers trying to comply with the law.

• $479 thousand and 8 positions (2 attorneys) to certify that state and local building codes meet ADA requirements.

Preparing for Redistricting

The Voting Rights Act requires certain jurisdictions to submit redistricting changes to the Attorney General for review and clearance. After the 2000 Census is conducted, the Department will experience a surge of activity in this area. The FY 2000 budget includes the following enhancements to effectively manage this requirement:

• $547 thousand and 12 positions to enable the Civil Rights Division to meet its statutory requirement of reviewing certain voting changes and redistricting proposals within 60 days.

• $933 thousand for technology improvements required to upgrade the imaging system and conversion of microfiche documents.

Protecting Fundamental Opportunities

The Civil Rights Division requires additional resources to expand programs which seek to protect basic civil rights. These enhancements will provide resources necessary for improvements in the following areas:

• $401 thousand and 6 positions (4 attorneys) to attack in-school segregation, insuring that desegregation has been achieved, promoting diversity, and insuring that non-English speaking students have access to an effective educational experience.

• $274 thousand and 4 positions (2 attorneys) to address the concerns of those in nursing homes and other institutions, who may be housed in intolerable and dangerous conditions.

• $186 thousand and 3 positions (1 attorney) to fight immigration fraud and inform the immigration communities of their rights under the law.

Community Relations Service

• $2.13 million and 30 positions for the Community Relations Service (CRS). The funds will enable CRS to address racial violence, disorders and conflict in states and local communities across the country. The enhancement would fund 15 strategically located field offices staffed by conflict resolution experts who will be more readily able to respond to incidents across the country. Localized services will allow CRS to be consistently on-site and maintain the ongoing working relationships with local officials, law enforcement agencies and civic leaders especially during times of community unrest and disorder.

Office of Justice Programs

• $5 million for grants to create Civil Rights Enforcement Partnerships with state attorneys general. The partnerships will help address specific enforcement issues within by hiring additional staff.

• $1.25 million in the Byrne Discretionary Program to address hate crimes. This includes $1 million to develop and provide training for state, local, and federal criminal practitioners, $200 thousand to develop partnerships at various levels of government to respond to hate crimes and to disseminate successful program strategies, and $50 thousand to partner with public and private organizations to develop public service announcements to combat hate crimes.
• $1 million to add a hate crimes supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) to better estimate the amount of bias-related crime.
• $500 thousand for the development and monitoring of felony case processing information from a sample of jurisdictions. Study of this data will expand the capacity of the Department to estimate the impact of racial discrimination and the administration of justice.

• $4.5 million in the Byrne Discretionary Grant Program to provide security assessments, and, where necessary, security improvements to reproductive health clinics at high risk of violence. This initiative builds on the Justice Department's National Task Force on Violence Against Health Care Providers, which has been coordinating the investigation of violence against women's health care clinics nationwide.

IMMIGRATION

Since 1993, the Justice Department has removed more illegal aliens than any other administration in history, increased Border Patrol agent strength by 99 percent nationwide, added new technologies and fences, strengthened worksite enforcement, made more than $1 billion available to states to reimburse them for the cost of incarcerating criminal aliens, and plugged loopholes that permit aliens who are not in danger to use asylum laws to illegally enter and stay in the United States.

Landmark immigration legislation enacted in 1996 has challenged the Department to carry out mandated responsibilities with far-reaching impact. The Department's FY 2000 budget includes initiatives that seek to strengthen proven, existing programs and to implement new measures that will guard against illegal immigration and promote legal entry to the United States. In response to this challenge, the Department has greatly enhanced border management in the Southwest, and has reengineered the naturalization process to accommodate millions of new applicants and improve naturalization processing programs.

In implementing an aggressive border control strategy, the INS has stemmed the tide of illegal immigration at traditional corridors of unlawful entry. The INS has more than doubled its Border Patrol agent workforce since 1993, and has introduced innovative deterrents and advanced technologies to halt illegal immigration at the borders of the United States. For 2000, the Department requests resources for "force-multiplying" technologies and to support Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS) movements. Resources are also included to increase juvenile detention bed space, and for Border Patrol and detention construction. The Department's FY 2000 budget includes $152.35 million for program enhancements, including fee accounts, for both INS and the Executive Office of Immigration Review, for the activities listed below.

Immigration and Naturalization Service

• $56 million and 90 positions for the INS National Border Control Strategy. This initiative includes $50 million for force-multiplying border enforcement technology called, the Integrated Surveillance Information System (ISIS). INS will deploy ISIS surveillance technology to about 200 sites in all 3 INS regions. Additionally, $6 million will be used to add new border inspectors in Eagle Pass, Los Tomates, and Laredo, Texas.

• $20 million and 185 positions for the INS Interior Enforcement Strategy. This initiative includes $16.795 million to increase resources available for the transportation and removal of aliens in INS custody. Resources are also included to increase juvenile detention bed space and to facilitate data entry into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) at the field level.

• $48.12 million for the planning and construction of new projects directly supporting the Border Patrol program. These projects include critically needed Border Patrol Station and Sector Headquarters space to address already severely overcrowded conditions, as well as resources for illegal entry deterrents such as checkpoint systems, border fencing, and stadium lighting.

• $22.5 million for the planning and construction of detention facilities. Included in this request are resources for the El Centro, California Service Processing Center (SPC); Florence, Arizona SPC; El Paso, Texas SPC; Krome, Florida SPC; and Port Isabel, Texas SPC.

Land Border Inspection Fee Initiative

• $3.21 million and 20 positions to staff the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers' Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) lanes in El Paso, Texas and San Ysidro, California and to continue the development of the network to integrate SENTRI sites. The SENTRI pilot is intended to expedite the legal entry of low-risk border crossers in non-commercial passenger vehicles.

Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR )

• $2.52 million and 33 positions (5 Immigration Judges) for coordination with INS enforcement initiatives that are estimated to increase Immigration Judge caseload by 5,000 cases and Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) attorney caseload by 800 appeals in 2000. Critical to the success of the INS initiatives will be the ability of EOIR to process the resulting Immigration Judge and appellate caseload in a timely fashion.

LITIGATION

The Department's FY 2000 budget includes $35 million in new initiatives to perform its role as the nation's top law enforcement agency. As responsibilities and caseloads continue to increase, the Department is seeking additional resources to investigate and prosecute unlawful activities, and protect the interests of the American people in court.

Civil Division

Medicare/Medicaid Fraud

• $5 million for audit work and automated litigation support in the Columbia/HCA matters. Currently, the Civil Division is in the midst of investigating Columbia/HCA -- which is the largest health care conglomerate in the United States. Fraud has been alleged in virtually every aspect of the conglomerate's dealings with federally-funded health care programs. The Civil Division needs additional resources to fully investigate the claims and to effectively prosecute responsible parties.

Tobacco Litigation

• $15 million and 50 positions (40 attorneys) to recover the expenses of federal health care programs for tobacco-related illnesses. Like the states, the federal government has expended considerable resources to combat tobacco-related illnesses, and it has incurred significant expenses through Medicare, CHAMPUS, the Veteran's Administration, the Department of Defense, the Indian Health Service, and other federal programs. With the resources requested, the Civil Division will continue to pursue claims against responsible third parties to recover such expenses.

• $5 million for the anticipated costs of expert witnesses in tobacco litigation.

United States Attorneys

Defensive Civil Litigation

• $5 million and 76 positions (25 attorneys) to handle an expanding civil workload in four areas:

• Tort Litigation: Work in the Torts area has increased in the past several years due primarily to passage of the Health Centers Assistance Act of 1992. The act provides that employees of health centers, hospitals, clinics and other health facilities supported by the Department of Health and Human Services are entitled to Federal Tort Claims Act protection as the exclusive remedy for torts resulting from the performance of their medical services.

• Employment Discrimination (Title VII) Litigation: the USAs' workload in employment discrimination has been exacerbated by passage of relatively new legislation. For the first time, the 1991 Amendments to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 allow plaintiffs to recover compensatory damages up to $300,000, no longer limiting awards to past and prospective lost wages. For the first time ever, the Act also provides for jury trials and the award of attorneys' fees.

• Social Security Disability Litigation: additional resources are needed to address Social Security disability, and an increase in the number of cases due to passage of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, which now disallows disability benefits based on alcoholism and drug addiction.

• Prisoner Litigation: additional resources are needed to address an increase in the number of cases filed by a growing federal prisoner population.

Child Support Enforcement

• $5 million and 95 paralegal positions to implement the provisions of the Child Support Recovery Act of 1996 and the Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act of 1998.

INDIAN COUNTRY

Because the investigation and prosecution of felonies in Indian Country cannot be deferred to a county, state, or tribal jurisdiction, federal law enforcement must provide an effective avenue of justice for victims of violent crimes. The

FY 2000 budget proposes $124.21 million to fund public safety programs on Indian land. Highlights include:

United States Attorneys

• •$3.21 million and 36 positions (26 attorneys) to investigate and prosecute crimes in Indian Country where Federal law enforcement is the only avenue of protection for victims of such crimes.

Office of Justice Programs

• $10 million for alcohol and substance abuse treatment in Indian Country (as part of the new Drug Testing and Treatment Program).

• $10 million from the Title V Incentive Grants for Local Delinquency Prevention, for a total of $20 million. These resources will be used to improve coordination and cooperation of tribal governments, federal agencies, and other organizations serving Indian youth by developing, enhancing, and supporting operations of tribal juvenile justice systems, targeting alcoholism and substance abuse, and focusing on reducing the incidence of crimes against children.

• $5 million to continue the Tribal Courts Program, which assists tribal government in the development, enhancement, and continuing operation of tribal judicial systems.

• $34 million for the construction of detention facilities in Indian Country.

• $45 million for the hiring, equipping, and training of Indian Country law enforcement officers through the 21^st Century Policing Program.

• $5 million from the Police Corps Program. This new initiative will increase the number of police in Indian country with advanced education and training, and provide educational assistance to students who are interested in public service in the form of law enforcement.

• $2 million to conduct a national census of tribal criminal justice agencies and related statistical activities to improve the Nation's understanding of crime and the administration of justice among Native Americans. Currently, there is no coherent and uniform manner for defining criminal conduct or victimization, measuring its incidence and prevalence, examining the response to crime, assessing case processing, or systematically understanding how criminal matters are adjudicated and disposed of on Native American lands.

OTHER CRIME-RELATED INITIATIVES

The Department places a high priority on providing grants to state and local governments so they may develop justice-related programs and effective mechanisms to evaluate the programs. The FY 2000 budget contains $12.5 million to help combat drug use, develop "smart gun" technology, forensic technology and other initiatives.

Office of Justice Programs

National Institute of Justice

• $4 million to develop "smart gun" technology, designed to disable a weapon that is not being held by its proper owner. Several different and promising techniques on the drawing board for smart gun development include: radio frequency, biometrics, voice recognition, and touch memory. The goal of this program is to expand the development, testing and replication of current technology and foster the development of additional "smart gun" technologies in order to save the lives of law enforcement personnel and law-abiding citizens.

• $2 million for the development of baseline data and national guidelines for investigative and forensic sciences. This initiative will focus on the development of national guidelines for the identification, collection and preservation of both crime scene and eyewitness evidence. In addition, a national survey of forensic laboratories and their policies and procedures will be conducted to establish critical baseline data. This will be the first-ever national survey of forensic laboratories.

• $1.5 million to implement an International Crime Research Program to provide support for Department components' international activities. Criminal justice information will also be shared with an international audience of practitioners and researchers. This program will help the Department assist justice agencies in emerging democracies, by sharing evaluative and technology-related practices with law enforcement and criminal justice practitioners and researchers both in the United States and abroad.

• $5 million earmarked within the Byrne Formula Grant Program to provide evaluations of individual Byrne Programs. These resources will improve the quality and scope of the evaluations of the Byrne Program that are performed by the NIJ by dedicating a specific amount of funding for this purpose. While these evaluations are statutorily required, no funding has been appropriated for this purpose, so limited funding has been available.

INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

The Department's FY 2000 budget includes an additional $93.13 million for information resources management. This funding will improve the information sharing abilities of the Department and upgrade much needed legal and management tools. Highlights include:

• $38.8 million to move forward with the FBI's Information Sharing Initiative (ISI) which supports the FBI's information technology and Information Collection and Analysis strategy that is critical to the success of FBI operations. To execute this plan requires a sophisticated intelligence capability that depends on information collection, processing, analysis and dissemination. The ISI system will allow agents to get timely, complete information relevant to their cases, and will provide them with the analytical tools to use this information effectively.

• $4.33 million for systems development and to provide all FBI offices with access to commercial, on-line databases needed for law enforcement purposes. This program increase would also provide a fully operational system that integrates and links transactional data with free text information from investigative cases and other sources.

• $37 million for Legal Activities Office Automation (LAOA) to upgrade critical legal and management tools. The funding will be used to finish installing a new computer system for the Department.

• $13 million to accelerate Phase II of DEA's FIREBIRD automation project, so that the installation of advanced computer network and workstation equipment in all remaining DEA offices, including: District, Resident, and foreign field offices; El Paso Intelligence Center; Airwing; and forensic laboratories can be completed by the end of calendar year 2001. Completion of the Phase II deployment will ensure that all DEA offices are connected and "on-line," allowing the full benefits of the information technology investment to be realized, and to avoid costly legacy system maintenance costs.

OTHER INITIATIVES

In addition to the special initiatives, the Department's FY 2000 budget includes $159.71 million for other enhancements. This includes funding to improve communication, add new personnel and purchase new equipment to enhance courtroom security.

Narrowband Communications

• $46 million in additional funding to accelerate the conversion of the Department's wireless radio communications to narrowband operations.

• $10.62 million and 6 FTE will be used to consolidate wireless communications management functions, including procurement, radio site development, and spectrum management, and to support the permanent establishment of the WMO.

U.S. Marshals Service

• $4.23 million and 60 positions to provide personnel necessary to ensure that new courthouses and new courtrooms in existing facilities can open on schedule with adequate security. Additional courtrooms and cellblock areas create an additional staffing requirement for the USMS.

• $9 million to ensure that new and renovated courthouses will have the necessary systems and equipment to ensure their safe and secure operation. Adequate security systems reduce the need for detention officers and contract guards, and provide the ability to monitor and record crisis situations.

• $9.59 million and 131 positions are requested to handle the increased workload generated by staff increases in other federal law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Attorneys. Because it takes 18 months to 2 years to hire and train personnel, this request is based on actual 1998 personnel increases experienced by the other agencies.

• $4.1 million and 9 positions to provide staff and resources for the USMS construction and renovation program. USMS space is located in federal courthouses nationwide, many of which are approaching 100 years old. These resources will be used to eliminate security deficiencies.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

• •$5.8 million and 56 positions to place an intelligence collection management officer in each field office to enhance the FBI's ability to collect information for use in individual investigations and programs. Emerging threats, such as terrorists' use of weapons of mass destruction, demand more resources than the FBI's current intelligence capability can deliver.

• •$5.33 million and 5 positions to collect DNA samples from federal convicted offenders and to analyze and enter the DNA profiles into the national Combined DNA Identification System (CODIS) database. The resources requested will allow the FBI to collect and type approximately 15,000 samples from the current federal inmate population, and approximately 5,000 samples from federal convicted offenders during 2000 and every year thereafter.

• $4.16 million to consolidate the FBI Laboratory's LABNET, consisting of the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) and the CODIS, with the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) - Wide Area Network (WAN). The consolidation of LABNET with the CJIS - WAN will improve delivery of services, enhance systems access, and provide secure communications with state and local law enforcement partners.

• $5 million to purchase critical instruments and equipment for the new laboratory. Due to the need for certain specialized equipment (e.g., mass spectrometers), resources are required in 2000 to provide adequate time to construct, test, validate, and calibrate the instruments in time for the laboratory activation. Over the last several years the FBI has undertaken a major initiative to relocate the Laboratory Division from its present space at the FBI Headquarters in Washington D.C., to a new facility at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. The new laboratory will ensure that the FBI maintains its role as a leader in the examination of forensic evidence, and continues to provide the scientific and technological advancements required to successfully solve crimes and assist state and local law enforcement investigations.

Antitrust Division

$6.37 million and 78 positions for civil antitrust matters. The resources will enable ATR to meet its statutory requirements related to reviewing and investigating the increasing number of mergers. Funds will also be used for civil non-merger matters, which seek to reduce the level of unfair competition.

• $3.18 million  and 39 positions to bolster the Division's ability to enforce criminal antitrust laws.

Office of the Inspector General

• $415 thousand and 6 positions (2 agents) for investigative counsel and criminal investigators to conduct special investigations and projects. Special investigations are large, complex, sensitive projects undertaken by the OIG, which require the interrogation of senior level witnesses, the collection and analysis of large volumes of evidence, and other specialized skills.

• $2.13 million and 31 positions (25 agents) for increasing investigative responsibilities and workload of the Investigations Division. Staffing increases will allow for more productive investigative hours, faster responses to time sensitive allegations, reduced travel costs, and on-site presence for enhanced intelligence sharing and coordination with other law enforcement agencies. Resources will also be used to reduce the average closure rate for investigations to 180 days in response to Congressional concern regarding the timeliness of OIG investigations. In addition, $131,000 will be used to replace damaged and defective technical equipment.

• $5 million and 46 positions to provide resources to support OIG audits, inspections, and investigations of INS programs and activities, previously funded through a reimbursement agreement from the INS fee accounts. Direct appropriations will provide a more streamlined and efficient means of providing funding to the OIG, and will eliminate the need for future reimbursements between the OIG and INS for fee-related work. Furthermore, this will enable the OIG to apply resources to monitor the effectiveness and efficiency of all INS programs and activities, not just the fee accounts.

United States Trustees Program

• $4.9 million to provide new capability for word processing, database management, communications, file-transfer, and security; and to support the USTP's effort to deal with the ever-increasing number of bankruptcy filings.

Office of Dispute Resolution

• $362 thousand to fully fund the operations of the Office of Dispute Resolution (ODR) in the General Legal Activities (GLA) appropriation. The ODR promotes the use of mediation and other forms of dispute resolution in appropriate civil cases involving the United States. It advises attorneys on dispute resolution strategies, identifies potential private providers of dispute resolution services, conducts training in negotiations and dispute resolution, and serves as the Department's representative in dealing with other agencies, Congress and the public. The Office also represents the Attorney General in monitoring and supervising the activities of the Interagency Working Group on ADR, a Presidentially established Task Force that promotes the use of dispute resolution throughout the Executive Branch.

General Administration

Public Safety Officer Benefits

• $3.5 million for the Public Safety Officer Benefits' Disability Benefits Program. Carryover funding in 1999 is insufficient to support this program in both 1999 and 2000; OJP estimates that it will pay 6 claims pending from 1998, as well as an estimated 17 new claims in 1999. This program increase will provide sufficient funding to continue to support disability compensation for public safety officers, their families, and their agencies before, during and after tragedies occur.

Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust Fund

• $21.71 million to provide payments to claims expected to be approved under the Administration's proposed amendments to the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.