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“SUPPORT H.R. 933, THE WITNESS SECURITY AND PROTECTION ACT OF 2007” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H10197-H10198 on Sept. 6, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SUPPORT H.R. 933, THE WITNESS SECURITY AND PROTECTION ACT OF 2007
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the deeply troubling issue of terrorism right here in our own backyard. It is a problem that is endangering our children, threatening our families, and plaguing our neighborhoods. I am talking about the brazen acts of violence, fire bombings and shootings that are preventing the good people in our communities from testifying to the crimes that they have witnessed. Who can blame them, when they are sitting targets for those who have no shame?
In cities across America, people are murdered in broad daylight and their killers are walking free because we cannot adequately address the issue of witness intimidation. We have all heard the news reports regarding the ``anti-snitching'' campaigns that have appeared in so many of our communities, but few of us are aware of what these efforts really mean to the people on the ground. But all around us, evidence of these campaigns' impact is present. Murder rates are at a record-
breaking high this summer in my hometown of Baltimore City and indeed in communities across the country where criminals have persistently evaded law enforcement.
In order to combat this problem, I introduced H.R. 993, the Witness Security and Protection Act of 2007. Upon enactment, this legislation authorizes $90 million per year over the next 3 years to assist State and local law enforcement with witness protection, while fostering Federal, State, and local partnerships.
Priority will be given to prosecuting officers and States with an average of at least 100 murders during the immediate past 5 years. However, smaller entities will also have a chance to receive funding. State and local prosecutors will also be able to use these funds to provide witness protection on their own or to pay the costs of enrolling their witnesses in the short-term State Witness Protection Program to be created within the United States Marshals Service's office.
The U.S. Marshals Service has a wealth of expertise and experience that will assist State and local entities in developing more comprehensive programs. In over 30 years under the Federal Witness Security Program, not a single witness that followed security procedures has been harmed while being protected by the program. More to the point, cases involving the testimony of these participants have an 89 percent conviction rate. In contrast, State witness protection programs are severely underfunded and enjoy virtually no Federal support.
While there has been tremendous support for this initiative in Congress, the lack of support from the administration has certainly been startling. On April 24, 2007, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the Witness Security and Protection Act. During that time, the Department of Justice official opposed this legislation based on the claim that it does not have the capacity or the will to implement a grant program. DOJ officials argued that running a grant program distracts from its ability to carry out its mission. Since when has inconvenience been an excuse for shortchanging justice in America?
On May 24, 2007, I met with officials from the DOJ and the U.S. Marshals Service to discuss my concerns. I left the meeting feeling optimistic about a compromise. However, this has not been the case. I have even given DOJ staff the opportunity to come up with a counterproposal to achieve the same goal as the Witness Security and Protection Act of 2007, that is, the goal of strengthening State and local witness protection programs without a grant program. Unfortunately, DOJ officials have not been able to come up with a compromise, or even an alternative, to H.R. 933.
In light of DOJ's failure to cooperate, it is extremely disappointing to learn that it has no problem supporting efforts in other countries, while dodging our efforts to set up similar programs in places such as Maryland and Washington.
The U.S. Marshals Service, Mr. Speaker, has been assisting about a dozen countries, including Colombia, Israel, Italy, Brazil and Thailand, with the creation of witness protection programs in response to increasing threats against key figures in foreign prosecutions.
International demand for the program is so great that Interpol, the world's largest law enforcement organization, is hosting a conference this month with the Marshals Service at Interpol's headquarters in France to address the needs of foreign governments. It is so very tragic that we can assist those abroad, but we will not fight terrorism right here in our backyards.
Mr. Speaker, improving protection for State and local witnesses will move us one step closer toward alleviating the fears and threats of prospective witnesses and help to safeguard our communities from violence.
I want my constituents in Maryland's Seventh Congressional District and the people across this great Nation to know that they are not alone. This is a priority issue for me, and I will not stop until this issue is addressed. This is why I am calling upon all of my colleagues to cosponsor H.R. 933.
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