Justice Assistance Act of 1982

Summary

Justice Assistance Act of 1982 - Amends title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Justice System Improvement) to eliminate the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration including the Office of Community Anti-Crime Programs and the Office of Justice Assistance, Research, and Statistics. Retains the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Institute of Justice. Establishes a new Office of Justice Assistance (OJA). Establishes a Justice Assistance Board to: (1) recommend to the Director of the Office of Justice Assistance funding and program priorities; (2) review and evaluate the activities of the OJA and Federal policies and priorities in justice assistance; and (3) coordinate its activities with the other justice advisory bodies. Authorizes appropriations for the Board. Decreases from 21 to 15 the membership of the National Institute of Justice Advisory Board and the Bureau of Justice Statistics Advisory Board. Requires each Board to include two nonvoting coordinating members from the other and from each of the Justice Assistance Board and the National Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Authorizes appropriations for the two Advisory Boards. Replaces the formula grant program with "national priority implementation and replication programs," under which grants are authorized for programs which address critical problems of violent and serious crime and for programs which have been certified to be successful. Enumerates 15 criteria for the awarding of these grants. Limits the Federal share of the new priority grant programs to a period of four years and includes a cash match requirement. Eliminates the current national priority grant program. Retains the discretionary grant program. Limits the purposes of discretionary grants to: (1) educational and training programs for criminal and juvenile justice personnel; (2) the provision of technical assistance; and (3) national demonstration programs which are likely to be successful but unlikely to be funded. Retains the training and manpower development programs. Establishes within the Department of Justice an Assistant Attorney General for Justice Assistance. Authorizes a State to apply for emergency Federal law enforcement assistance in the event that a crime problem of serious and epidemic proportions exists. Requires the Attorney General, in approving or disapproving such application, to consider: (1) the nature and extent of the crime problem; (2) the emergency or extraordinary circumstances; (3) the availability of State and local resources; (4) the need to avoid unnecessary Federal involvement in local concerns; and (5) alternative sources of assistance. Authorizes appropriations in the amount of $25,000,000 for law enforcement assistance for each of FY 1983 through 1986.

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Timeline

1. 21 April 1982

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 21 April 1982

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 26 April 1982

   Committee

   Committee on Judiciary requested executive comment from Office of the Attorney General.

   Source: Committee

4. 27 April 1982

   Referred

   Committee on Judiciary. Referred jointly to the Subcommittee on Criminal Law.

   Source: Committee

5. 23 June 1982

   Committee

   Committee on Judiciary received executive comment from Office of the Attorney General.

   Source: Committee

6. 30 June 1982

   Committee

   Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice. Approved for full committee consideration with amendments favorably.

   Source: Committee

7. 16 July 1982

   Committee

   Subcommittee on Criminal Law. Approved for full committee consideration without amendment favorably.

   Source: Committee

8. 11 August 1982

   Committee

   Committee on Judiciary received executive comment from OMB.

   Source: Committee

9. 14 September 1982

   Reported

   Committee on Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably.

   Source: Committee

10. 24 September 1982

    Calendars

    Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Regular Orders. Calendar No. 857.

    Source: Calendars

11. 24 September 1982

    Reported

    Committee on Judiciary. Reported to Senate by Senator Thurmond with amendments. With written report No. 97-587.

    Source: Committee

12. 24 September 1982

    Reported

    Committee on Judiciary. Reported to Senate by Senator Thurmond with amendments. With written report No. 97-587.

    Source: Committee

13. 9 December 1982

    Floor

    Measure laid before Senate.

    Source: Floor

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

3 official files

• Indefinitely postponed in Senate

  summary · EN · 9 December 1982

  Open at official source

• Reported to Senate with amendment(s)

  summary · EN · 24 September 1982

  Open at official source

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 21 April 1982

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Sen. Specter, Arlen [R-PA] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [D-DE] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Heflin, Howell [D-AL] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA] · D · Cosponsor
• Sen. Mathias, Charles McC., Jr. [R-MD] · R · Cosponsor
• Sen. Thurmond, Strom [R-SC] · R · Cosponsor
• · ssju00 · Standing

Related records

• related to → Justice Assistance Act of 1982