DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2002

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2001

SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS,

U.S. SENATE,

Washington, DC.

The subcommittee met at 10 a.m., in room SD-192, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Judd Gregg (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Gregg, Domenici, Hollings, and Inouye.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL

OPENING REMARKS

Senator GREGG. We will begin the hearing.

We appreciate the Attorney General's promptness in appearing before the committee, which looks forward to hearing from the Attorney General.

I do not know if the ranking member has a statement he wishes to make; I would be glad to hear from the Senator from South Carolina.

Senator HOLLINGS. No. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We welcome the Attorney General, and we are glad to proceed with the hearing. Senator GREGG. I feel the same way. We are here to hear you, not you to hear us. So we will be happy to get your thoughts, Mr. Attorney General, and then ask some questions.

ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHCROFT'S OPENING REMARKS

Attorney General ASHCROFT. Thank you, Chairman Gregg and Ranking Member Hollings. It is a pleasure to be with you today. It is an honor and a privilege to appear before you to present the President's first budget request for the Department of Justice.

For fiscal year 2002, the President's budget seeks $24.6 billion for the Department, including $20.9 billion in discretionary spending authority and $3.7 billion in mandatory resources. While the 2002 request maintains the same overall amount of spending authority as provided by this subcommittee in 2001-less than 1 percent variance-we have managed to enhance a number of key ef

forts, including reducing gun crime, stopping violence against women, combatting drugs, and guaranteeing civil rights for all Americans.

This budget includes a general shift in spending from State and local law enforcement in order to support our core Federal law enforcement mission and to better target assistance to areas of greatest need, such as crime in our schools, crimes committed with firearms, and violence against women. The Community-Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, program is continued at a somewhat reduced level, with resources re-targeted for school safety, law enforcement technology needs, and reducing DNA backlogs.

The budget includes nearly $1.1 billion in program increases to enable the Department to carry out its core mission, particularly in the areas of detention and incarceration, antiterrorism, cybercrime, and counterintelligence. Another $302 million in new funding is requested to address key technology initiatives focusing on systems integration upgrades and network reliability. Of this amount, $225.7 million will be used directly to assist State and local law enforcement agencies with technology needs.

The 2002 budget also focuses on several key areas that reflect the priorities of the Bush Administration-gun violence, violence against women, and drug crime, all threaten to deny the most fundamental right of our citizens, the right to their personal safety. The 2002 budget provides $650 million in additional funding to help secure this basic right.

GUN CRIME

There is no question that we need a renewed commitment to the vigorous enforcement of existing laws addressing gun crime. The recent gun violence on school campuses highlights the need for a collaboration among Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers to combat juvenile gun crime. I intend to intensify enforcement efforts against gun crime.

The first step toward this goal is our request for $153.8 million in increased resources to enforce vigorously gun laws through increased prosecutions, collaborative approaches to crimes committed with firearms, and by ensuring that child safety locks are available for every handgun in America.

DRUG ENFORCEMENT

To reinvigorate the war on illegal drugs, the 2002 budget includes $77.2 million in additional resources. Specifically, our budget seeks $58.2 million in enhancements for the Drug Enforcement Administration. The request also continues to provide $48 million for the Office of Justice Programs to assist State and local law enforcement agencies with the costs associated with meth cleanup and to aid in meth enforcement.

CIVIL RIGHTS

Through the efforts of the Civil Rights Division, the Community Relations Service, the United States Attorneys, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Office of Justice Programs, the Department seeks to protect the civil rights and liberties of all Americans.