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Press Room
FY 2008 Byrne JAG Restoration
All Fifty-six Attorneys General of the Association signed a letter protesting the recent and potentially devastating budget cuts to the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne/JAG) that were contained in the FY 2008 omnibus appropriations bill and urged Congress to restore this critical law enforcement funding in the FY 2008 supplemental appropriations measure. This restoration is critical, argued the Attorneys General, since Byrne/JAG is not only the sole source of funding available for multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement (including methamphetamine initiatives), but is also crucial for drug courts, law enforcement information sharing, gang prevention, and prisoner re-entry programs.
Attorneys General warned that the current 67 percent decrease in funding will impede law enforcement efforts nationwide by forcing them to discontinue multi-jurisdictional drug and gang task forces, causing them to lay off police and prosecutors, and shutting down programs that have been successful in transforming drug addicts in to productive citizens. Programs that will be affected in every state include police training, technology improvement, crime prevention and crime victims programs.
