Fiscal Year 2019 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill Released

Bill Highlights:

Anti-Opioid Abuse – Opioid abuse is a national epidemic, killing more people than car crashes each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bill includes $447 million for grant programs to help stem this abuse. This includes funding for activities such as drug courts, treatment, prescription drug monitoring, overdose-reversal drugs, and at-risk youth programs. In addition, the bill increases federal law enforcement resources to investigate and prosecute drug traffickers.

Gun Crimes and School Safety – The bill increases resources for multiple programs that reduce violent and gun crime, including fully funding the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System; increasing funds for U.S. Attorneys and the Marshals Service to address violent crime; provides $75 million in grants to states to improve their records used in background checks; $50 million in grants to reduce gang and gun violence; $100 million as authorized by the STOP School Violence Act; $100 million for youth mentoring programs; and $20 million for police active shooter training.

Department of Justice (DOJ) – The bill funds DOJ at $30.7 billion, an increase of $793 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. These investments will give federal law enforcement more tools to thwart violent crime, drug and human traffickers, and terrorism, and bring criminals to justice.

• Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) – Funding for EOIR is increased by $126 million above fiscal year 2018, for a total of $630 million. This increase annualizes the additional 100 immigration judge teams the Committee provided in the fiscal year 2018 Omnibus and provides funds for 100 additional immigration judge teams in fiscal year 2019. This addition of 200 new immigration judge teams over a two-year period should drastically reduce the immigration case backlog.
• United States Attorneys (USA) – The bill includes $2.3 billion for USA operations – an increase of $113 million above fiscal year 2018 to increase prosecutions of drug and human traffickers, violent criminals, criminal aliens, cybercriminals and terrorists.

• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – The DEA is funded at $2.7 billion – $130 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level.

  Within the DEA, priority is placed on anti-opioid and other illegal drug enforcement efforts by providing additional heroin enforcement teams, additional agents and equipment for opioid enforcement efforts, and additional resources to disrupt transnational organized crime. The bill also includes $421 million in the Diversion Control Program to enhance opioid diversion investigations and prosecutions. In addition, the bill provides $570 million for Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Forces, a $27 million increase over the current level, to target major drug trafficking organizations.

• U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) – The bill includes $3 billion for the USMS, an increase of $85 million above fiscal year 2018. This funding will strengthen fugitive apprehension efforts, provide additional resources for court security and prisoner transportation, and fund the increasing detainee population resulting from more vigorous violent, drug trafficking, and immigration crime enforcement initiatives.

• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – The legislation contains $1.3 billion for the ATF, $23 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. This funding will provide additional resources to reduce violent crime and expedite licensing applications. The bill continues all legislative provisions carried in previous years to protect the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – The bill includes $9.3 billion for the FBI – a reduction of $81 million below the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. The bill increases funding for critical functions of the FBI, including anti-cybercrime, counterterrorism, counterintelligence, human trafficking investigations, and NICS gun background checks while reducing construction funding.
  
  
  
  • Grant Programs – The bill includes a total of $2.9 billion for various state and local law enforcement assistance grant programs including:
  • $493 million for Violence Against Women Act programs
  • $442 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants
  • $255 million for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program
  • $130 million for DNA Initiative Grants
  • $48 million for Reduce Sexual Assault Kits Backlog grants
  • $100 million for Anti-Human Trafficking grants
  • $380 million for Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act grants
  • $76 million for Missing and Exploited Children programs.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – NASA is funded at $21.5 billion, $810 million above the 2018 enacted level. This funding includes:

• $5.1 billion for Deep Space Exploration Systems – $294 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. This includes funding to continue the development of the Orion crew vehicle, Space Launch System, and related ground systems.
• $6.7 billion for NASA Science programs – $459 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. This targets funding to planetary and other sciences to ensure the continuation of groundbreaking scientific missions.
• The bill fully funds the requested amounts for robotic and human exploration of the moon, including $504.2 million for the lunar orbital platform; $116.5 million for advanced lunar and surface capabilities; $218 million for planetary science, including rovers and science instruments; and $150 million for commercial low-earth orbit development.

Department of Commerce – The bill includes $12.1 billion for the Commerce Department, an increase of $1 billion above the 2018 enacted level. This includes funding for the following agencies:

• Bureau of the Census – The bill provides $4.8 billion for the Bureau of the Census to ramp up for the 2020 Decennial Census. The funding provided in the bill is a down payment on the total cost of the next census, which the Administration estimates will total more than $15 billion. These funds will cover activities such as technology improvements, address listing, and opening of Census field offices.

• Economic Development Administration (EDA) – The legislation includes $302 million for the EDA, the fiscal year 2018 level. These funds will help innovative community development, coal communities, and boost economically recovering communities.

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – NIST is funded at $985 million in the bill, including $140 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnerships program and $720 million for core research activities to help advance U.S. competitiveness and economic growth, while lower-priority activities are reduced.

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – The legislation contains $5.2 billion for NOAA, which is $751 million below the fiscal year 2018 level. Funding is targeted to important priorities such as the National Weather Service, the reduction of harmful algal blooms, fisheries management, weather research, and ocean exploration while reducing funds for lower-priority programs and one-time investments made in fiscal year 2018.

The bill also includes full funding to continue the current Joint Polar Satellite System weather satellite program and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite program to help maintain and improve weather forecasting to warn communities about potentially devastating natural disasters.

National Science Foundation (NSF) – The legislation funds NSF at $8.2 billion – $408 million above the fiscal year 2018 enacted level. Research and related activities are funded at $6.7 billion, $317 million above the current level. These funds will foster innovation and U.S. economic competitiveness, including funding for research on advanced manufacturing, physics, mathematics, cybersecurity, neuroscience, and STEM education. The bill also invests in important scientific infrastructure such as modernization of Antarctica facilities along with telescopes and research vessels.

Other Provisions – The bill includes several policy provisions, such as:

• Continuing a prohibition on the transfer or release of Guantanamo detainees into the U.S.;
• Continuing various existing provisions related to firearms, such as a prohibition on the implementation of the UN Arms Trade Treaty, and makes four of these provisions permanent;
• Prohibiting unauthorized reporting and registration requirements on consumers purchasing multiple rifles or shotguns;
• Prohibiting NASA, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the National Space Council from engaging in bilateral activities with China unless authorized or certified via procedures established in the bill;
• Preventing settlement money from going to activist groups by prohibiting the Justice Department from entering into civil settlement agreements in which a defendant is required to make a donation to a third party;
• Countering cyberespionage by requiring agencies to conduct supply chain reviews before procuring sensitive information technology systems; and
• Continuing existing policies related to the sanctity of life.

For the draft text of the bill, please visit: https://docs.house.gov/meetings/AP/AP19/20180509/108286/BILLS-115HR-SC-AP-FY2019-CJS-SubcommitteeDraft.pdf

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