| Sponsor | Rep. Sablan, Gregorio |
| Committee | Judiciary |
| Date | December 7, 2010 (111th Congress, 2nd Session) |
| Staff Contact | Sarah Makin |
H.R. 3353 is expected to be considered on the floor of the House on Tuesday, December 7, 2010, under a motion to suspend the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority vote for passage. The legislation was introduced on July 29, 2009, by Rep. Sablan (D-MP).
H.R. 3353 would amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to treat American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands as separate states for purposes of the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program.
Currently, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa are treated as one state. H.R. 3353 would provide additional funding to both locales. Given their remoteness, it is often more costly to obtain law enforcement resources and provide victims’ services.
Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Programs support all components of the criminal justice system from multijurisdictional drug and gang task forces to crime prevention and domestic violence programs, courts, corrections, treatment, and justice information sharing initiatives. JAG funded projects may address crime through the provision of services directly to individuals and/or communities and by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice systems, processes, and procedures.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has not produced a cost estimate for this bill as of press time.
