Herb Kohl: “I rise in support of the Dayton amendment that increases funding for the Byrne grant program by $900 million. This is a…”

“I rise in support of the Dayton amendment that increases funding for the Byrne grant program by $900 million. This is a straightforward amendment worthy of unanimous support. As most of us know, the Byrne grant program is a law enforcement funding program run by the Department of Justice. For 20 years, Byrne grants have funded State and local drug task forces, community crime prevention programs, substance abuse treatment programs, prosecution initiatives, and many other local crime control programs. Unfortunately, all of this funding is eliminated in the Senate budget resolution which follows the administration's budget proposal. This marks the second year in a row in which President Bush has tried to kill the Byrne grant program. Given the Bush administration's attack on law enforcement funding, this proposed cut should come as no surprise. That said, the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program was appropriated a little more than $416 million last year in formula funds--despite the administration's desire to eliminate it. But this amount is less than half of what the program received just a few short years ago. Quite simply, funding for local law enforcement has taken a nosedive under this administration, and it is our local police chiefs and sheriffs who are feeling the pain of these cuts. Consider this: since President Bush has taken office, funding for local law enforcement in Wisconsin via the Byrne grant program has been cut by more than two- thirds.…”