Headlines

5-16-08 Attorney General Bruning Applauds Effort to Help Restore Crime and Drug Enforcement Funding

Note: Sound bites on this topic are available at: http://www.ago.ne.gov

(Lincoln, Neb) Attorney General Jon Bruning today applauded the U.S. Senate’s effort to help restore funding to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.

“Byrne funds are critical in Nebraska’s fight against drugs and violent crimes,” said Bruning. “I want to thank Sen. Ben Nelson for pushing to have this funding restored along with Congressman Lee Terry, Gov. Dave Heineman and others.”

A funding bill reported yesterday by the Senate Appropriations Committee would add $490 million in Byrne funding for the current fiscal year, bringing the total amount of Byrne funding for fiscal year 2008 to $660 million. The bill still requires approval by the full Senate and must be reconciled with the version currently under consideration by the House of Representatives.

In fiscal year 2007, the Byrne program was funded at $520 million. For 2008, Byrne funding was cut to $170 million – a 67 percent decrease from 2007 funding levels.

In March, Bruning along with 55 Attorneys General from all jurisdictions of the United States, issued a letter calling on Congressional leaders to restore Byrne funding.

Byrne funds are currently the only source of funding available to local and state law enforcement for multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement, including meth initiatives, and are a crucial source of funding for drug courts, law enforcement collaboration, gang prevention, and prisoner re-entry programs.

Bruning said, “If funding isn’t restored, we’ll see more criminals on our streets, more drugs in our neighborhoods and innocent people paying the price.”

Nebraska received just over $3 million in Byrne funding in 2007.


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