Leahy: New Bush Budget
Abandons Local Police, Crime Victims
And Community Youth Programs

. . .Irresponsible’ Budget Gouges Help To Police, Weakens Anti-Drug Efforts,
And Robs Crime Victims Trust Fund Reserves, Leahy Charges

(THURSDAY, Feb. 9) – Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday released an analysis of the anti-crime and drug abuse prevention cuts in President Bush’s 2007 budget plan that he says would – if ratified by Congress – deliver a series of blows to police departments and communities in Vermont and across the nation.

The Bush Administration’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2007, released this week, calls for deep cuts in crime prevention programs that state and local police and sheriffs’ departments have long relied upon, including key Justice Department efforts such as Byrne Grants, the Crime Victims Fund, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Act, and the Violence Against Women Act Programs.  Leahy said the cuts total a 52 percent reduction in funding for federal help to local law enforcement agencies.  Leahy is the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Justice Department and federal anti-crime programs.  He also is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which handles the Senate’s work in writing the annual budget bills for all federal agencies and departments, including the Justice Department.  

“This budget would undermine proven anti-crime, anti-drug and community safety efforts that are making a difference in Vermont and in communities across the nation,” said Leahy.  “These budget priorities are out of whack.  This budget puts more tax cuts for the rich at the front of the line, while leaving behind crime victims, local police and Boys and Girls Clubs.  Slashing help to state and local police by more than half is irresponsible and wrong, and I will work to build a bipartisan coalition to do what we can to put it right.”

Leahy’s report on the Bush budget’s impact on Justice Department programs is his second overview analysis of the new budget plan’s impact on Vermont.  (The first -- released Monday and focusing on the budget’s impact on Vermont’s agricultural, environmental, health care, education, first responder and National Guard priorities -- is available on the Leahy website.)

Bush Budget Abandons Anti-Crime Programs That Help Local Police:

-- Eliminates All Funding For The Edward Byrne Memorial State Grant Program

The Bush budget would cut all funding for this program.  The Byrne Grant program has long been a mainstay of Vermont law enforcement agencies, making possible investments in a variety of local crime prevention initiatives targeting gang violence, drug abuse and violent crime and other community law enforcement problems.

-- Cuts $20 Million From The Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program (BVP)

The Administration’s budget proposes to cut $20 million from the BVP Program, which represents a 63 percent reduction in funding to this program that helps protect Vermont’s rank-and-file police officers who are on the front lines in fighting crime.  Chartered under legislation authored by Leahy, the program provides matching fund up to 50 percent for state, county and local police agencies to purchase life-saving bulletproof vests.  In recent years, Leahy has worked to secure additional funding to not only purchase additional vests for jurisdictions, but also to help police agencies replace hundreds of vests that have been found to be defective.  Since the Leahy program began in 1999, Vermont has received more than $475,000 for more than 2,600 vests.

-- Cuts $23.3 Million From Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)

The COPS program has provided vital funding for Vermont’s Drug Task Force, which combats the growing problem of heroin use and trafficking in Vermont, as well as keeps the production and use of highly addictive methamphetamine from infiltrating Vermont’s borders.  The Administration proposes a $23.3 million cut from the COPS Methamphetamine/Hotspots program. 

Bush Budget Abandons Crime Victims:

 -- Underfunds Violence Against Women Act Programs by $454 Million

Under Leahy’s leadership, Congress last year passed and the President signed into law the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, providing $1 billion in important resources and services to victims of domestic violence.  The Administration has proposed $454 million below what the President recognized as appropriate funding for the Office of Violence Against Women, which administers programs at work in Vermont such as the Transitional Housing Assistance Grants and the Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program, both authored by Leahy. 

 -- DNA Testing, Technology Proposal Misses The Mark

The Bush budget proposes no investments in the DNA technology provisions of the recently enacted Justice For All Act, co-authored by Leahy, that helps solve crimes and prevents innocent people from falling through the cracks of justice system.  DNA testing helps assure that only individuals guilty of crimes are imprisoned and focuses law enforcement efforts on finding and convicting them.  The Justice For All Act created many of these DNA testing programs that would prevent tragic mistakes by eliminating backlogs of DNA samples, improving testing capacities of state and local agencies, and helping with technical training.  Vermont has had a particular need for help in upgrading the state’s DNA lab and testing capabilities.

-- Drains Crime Victims Trust Fund

The Bush budget plan would drain funds from the Crime Victims Trust Fund by eliminating the program’s balance -- approximately $1.3 billion.  In Vermont and across the country, the Victims Fund plays an essential role in helping crime victims and their families in the aftermath of the crimes they have suffered and with rebuilding their lives.  The balance that remains in the Fund at the end of each fiscal year ensures that this help is always available for victims in need, and for emergencies such as 9/11 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 

Bush Budget Abandons Youths: 

-- Cuts Almost $25 Million for Boys and Girls Clubs of America

The Bush budget proposes an almost $25 million cut in funding for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.  Leahy has long led efforts to increase support for this program, which helps communities fight the influence of gangs and drugs among youths by providing safe havens for them.  In Vermont, Boys & Girls Clubs have succeeded in preventing crime and supporting children.  The first Club was established in Burlington 63 years ago, and now there are 20 club sites operating throughout the State in Addison, Chittenden, Orange, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor Counties.  Four new Boys & Girls Clubs are planned for Winooski, Brattleboro, Barre and Vergennes.  Collectively, these clubs serve well over 10,000 kids statewide.

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