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“COMMERCE-JUSTICE-SCIENCE APPROPRIATIONS BILL” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S4581-S4582 on June 27, 2016.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
COMMERCE-JUSTICE-SCIENCE APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today I want to highlight several important provisions I am pleased are included in the fiscal year 2017 spending bill for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.
Several of these provisions are transparency measures that I developed after months of oversight work, to ensure greater accountability in the use of Federal funds. The bill also includes funding for several key programs that benefit at-risk children, as well as survivors of sexual or domestic violence.
First, I am pleased the fugitive apprehension activities that are authorized under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act are supported in this bill. The Adam Walsh Act, which is so named to honor the memory of a 9-year-old boy who was murdered in 1981, authorizes the U.S. Marshals Service to apprehend convicted sex offenders who fail to register as fugitives. The Adam Walsh Act also calls for U.S. Marshals to help jurisdictions track down those who fail to register as sex offenders or who later go missing from the registration system.
I have introduced legislation, known as the Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act of 2016, to extend the authorization for these same fugitive apprehension activities in each of the next 2 years. Earlier this year, I led the Senate Judiciary Committee in approving this reauthorization measure, and it passed the full Senate, 89-0, a few weeks ago.
Providing $61.3 million in funding for these Adam Walsh Act activities in fiscal year 2017, as our reauthorization bill proposes, will help ensure the safety of America's children. It is vital that the other chamber quickly take up and pass our reauthorization bill before the 35th anniversary of Adam Walsh's disappearance on July 27th.
Second, I appreciate the committee's efforts to ensure adequate resources for Federal juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs. Senator Whitehouse and I have filed a bill to update and extend the authorization for these very same programs. Our bill, entitled the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act, would ensure there is greater accountability, on the part of the Justice Department, in the use of the juvenile justice dollars. Our Judiciary Committee cleared this bill by voice vote, and our legislation has the support of hundreds of law enforcement officials and nonprofit organizations around the country. Its prompt enactment is vital to avert mismanagement, waste, and abuse in juvenile justice programs.
Third, many of us have stressed the importance of funding programs that benefit survivors of domestic and sexual violence across the Nation. These include the STOP Grants, transitional housing assistance, civil legal assistance, and sexual assault services programs. The bill before us adequately supports these programs.
Finally, I would like to highlight additional key provisions of this year's appropriations bill that I championed. One provision, which is based on my oversight work and another bill that I introduced last February, would bar the use of funds to deny or impede an inspector general's timely access to any records, documents, or other materials needed to carry out its oversight work. There is just one exception to this requirement in this bill, and it arises only if Congress passes legislation expressly limiting the inspector general's right of access to these materials.
It is also vital that Congress is aware of any effort by DOJ or other Federal departments or agencies to impede the inspector general's work. That is why Senate appropriators incorporated language in this year's spending bill requiring an inspector general to notify both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees within 5 days of any agency's failure to comply with the CJS bill's transparency requirement.
Until the minority leader stops obstructing passage of the bipartisan Inspector General Empowerment Act, this spending restriction is the next best thing we can do to prevent the Justice Department from acting as if the law requiring inspector general access to ``all records'' does not really mean ``all records.''
The other provision I championed would increase transparency of the Marshals Service's use of the Assets Forfeiture Fund. I have been reviewing the Marshals Service's expenditures from this fund for more than a year. Although the inspector general recently informed the Judiciary Committee that he couldn't find any laws or regulations that have been broken, he did not speak to the numerous allegations I have received from whistleblowers about the waste of monies in the fund. I continue to have concerns about extensive and cavalier spending of that fund on unnecessary facilities and frivolous furniture, as well as on salaries and activities that aren't directly related to asset forfeiture activities.
In closing, I wanted to make sure my colleagues are aware of these important provisions of the CJS spending bill.
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