CJJ | FY 2010 Budget Alert
President, House Propose Level Funding for FY 2010 Federal Juvenile Justice Programs
On May 7, 2009, President Obama released a portion of his line item Budget Proposal for FY 2010, including details for funding operations and grants to states and localities at the U.S. Department of Justice and among its related programs.
On June 4, 2009, the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) met to mark-up their FY 2010 regular appropriations bill. With a few notable exceptions, the House adhered to the President’s proposals and is recommending level funding for all core federal juvenile justice programs.
Proposed Funding Level, in millions:
| FY02 | FY09 | President's Proposal for FY10 |
House Proposal for FY10 |
CJJ REQUEST for FY09 |
|
| Title II State Formula Funds |
$88.8 | $75 | $75 | $75 | $89 |
| Title V Local Delinq. Prevention |
$94.3 | $62 $25 for EUDL $10 for GREAT $25 for Tribal Youth |
$62 $25 for EUDL $10 for gang ed $25 for Tribal Youth |
$62 $25 for EUDL $10 for gang ed $25 for Tribal Youth |
$95 |
| JABG | $249.5 | $55 | $57 | $55 | $250 |
| DPBG | N/A | 0 | 0 | 0 | $126.4 |
THE TIME IS NOW to urge Senate congressional appropriators to build on what President Obama and the House have proposed and restore specific funding for all critical juvenile justice and delinquency prevention funding streams that support the work of the JJDPA in the states.
Please use the CJJ Template Appropriations Support Letter below to communicate the importance of federal juvenile justice funding to Senate appropriators.
[1] Template Appropriations Support LetterDETAILS:
For the first time in many years, JJDPA and related programs are explicitly identified for support in the President’s Budget Proposal. Rather than eliminating programs that provide direct support to states and localities, President Obama’s budget preserves key juvenile justice programs and adds some juvenile justice focus areas in other programs under the Office of Justice Programs. This encouraging development provides House and Senate appropriators a baseline from which to work.
Further education is needed as there are a few problematic areas:
1) Both the President and House proposals maintain the status quo/level funding for Title II and Title V of the JJDPA, and continue to allow nearly all of the Title V program funds to be set-asides/earmarks, which strips away funding for the core purposes of Title V, i.e., $60 million in set-asides vs. $2 million for Title V purposes.
2) The President’s proposal reduces the “Demonstration Programs” grants by $57 million, from $82 million down to $25 million, while setting up a new program titled, “Community-based Violence Prevention Initiatives.” While CJJ supports removing the set-asides/earmarks that were housed in this funding stream in past years, this is a significant, unhelpful drop in support for states and localities. The House rejects the President’s proposal to eliminate demonstration programs, and instead proposes $68 million in earmarked funding for youth-related programs. The House does accept the President’s proposal to create a new community-based violence prevention initiative, but funds it at only $18 million.
3) While the House proposed funding OJP at $139.2 million (up $9 million from FY09), there is no discernible funding for OJJDP significantly identified and/or differentiated from OJP, so it is difficult to determine whether OJJDP will receive the resources it requires to restore and strengthen its oversight, research and evaluation and training and technical assistance capacities.
In addition to funding for core juvenile justice programs, the House proposes funding the following programs at the following levels (new or eliminated uses for program dollars are italicized):
- $7 million for discretionary grants under the JJDPA’s Safe State program (the President proposed $10 million);
- $80 million for youth mentoring programs;
- OJP (and presumably OJJDP) is able to use up to 10% of the above program amounts for research and evaluation, and up to 2% of the above program amounts for training and technical assistance (same as FY09);
- $40 million (up $10 million from FY09) in competitive grants for State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance under OJP that include monies to “prevent and combat juvenile delinquency;” (the President proposed $178.5 million in discretionary grants, but the House earmarked $124 million and reduced the remaining amount);
- $12 million (up $2 million from FY09) for the “Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2008 (MIOT-CRRA)” including monies for mental health courts and “juvenile collaboration program grants” to states (the President proposed $10 million);
- $100 million for the “Second Chance Act of 2007,” up from $25 million in FY09; specific set-asides for juveniles are not cited.
For more information, contact Tara Andrews, Deputy Executive Director of Policy and Programs, at [2] andrews@juvjustice.org.
[1]: http://juvjustice.org/media/resources//resource_260.doc
[2]: mailto:andrews@juvjustice.org