Herb Kohl: “Unfortunately, the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program suffered a $500 million cut…”

“Unfortunately, the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program suffered a $500 million cut in this bill. Hundreds of law enforcement agencies throughout Wisconsin depend on this money to fund a variety of crime prevention, drug interdiction, domestic violence, and many other creative, anti-crime initiatives. In fact, Wisconsin received more than $9 million in Byrne formula grant funds last year. Eliminating this source of funding will drastically impair local law enforcement's ability to combat crime. I am pleased to co-sponsor Senator Harkin's amendment to restore the Byrne formula grant program to last year's level of $500 million. We cannot leave our State and local law enforcement agencies out in the cold, especially at a time when we've asked them take on the additional responsibility of being the first line of defense and the first to respond in case of a terrorist incident. The safety of our communities depends on local law enforcement's ability to do their job well. At the very least, we can assist them by restoring this funding.”