CSSA Positions on Federal Legislation - 2009

6/23/09 (Boxer) Draft Legislation “Enhanced Violent Crime Community Policing Act of 2009” – CSSA Support in Concept with Request for Amendments. The legislation would create demonstration grants for a three-year period to increase law enforcement by 5 to 10 percent in high violent crime areas in cities and metropolitan areas.  Request for amendments: 1) A law enforcement representative (i.e., from the National Sheriffs’ Association) to be included as a member of the committee or advisory group that will review and determine which agencies will receive grants and; 2) Clarifying language to ensure that counties are included within the definition of metropolitan areas.

6/23/09 HR 1618 (McGovern-MA) Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act (SHIPA) – CSSA Support. This legislation will establish a set standard for the size and weight of trucks on our highways.  CSSA is aware of efforts to allow larger and longer trucks on our highways.  These efforts include allowing heavier single trailer trucks as well as double and triple trailer trucks that currently are not allowed on California’s highways.  With the number of vehicles currently traveling on our roadways, to allow larger and heavier trucks would create a significant public safety concern.  Additional weight and length on a trailer truck means an even longer stopping distance is needed.  California has already seen the devastating results of crashes involving trailer trucks at their current weight and length.  It would be ill-advised to consider adding larger and longer trucks to our roads.

HR 1618 keeps in place reasonable weight limits and extends them beyond the Interstate system to the entire National Highway System.  The bill also freezes the length of trucks at 53 feet and of particular importance to California, the legislation restricts the operation of longer combination vehicles to the states they are currently allowed.

6/15/09 State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) – CSSA Strong Support for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) – Urge Full Funding of $950 Million for Program. Letter sent to California Congressional Delegation.

6/15/09 HR 1133 (Rush-IL) “Family Telephone Connection Protection Act of 2009” – CSSA Opposed. The Act would require the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe unreasonable and restrictive requirements in order to provide telephone services to inmates, which would seriously hamper the ability of California Sheriffs to effectively secure and manage their jails.

5/5/09 S 132 (Feinstein) Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2009 – CSSA Support. S 132 provides a comprehensive approach to the problem of violence by criminal street gangs.

S 132 would create a national strategy to identify, apprehend, and prosecute gangs. The bill also includes important prevention and intervention provisions to implement and enhance programs designed to help gang-involved youth find an alternative to a life of crime. In addition, it would help facilitate the cooperation between local, state and federal law enforcement in identifying, targeting and eliminating violent gangs in areas where gang activity is particularly prevalent through the designation of High Intensity Gang Activity Areas.

The measure also provides strong enforcement measures to address dealing with highly organized, violent gangs and the rising numbers of gang crimes across the country. The growing complexity of the interrelated problems of gangs, drugs and gun crime in America urgently calls for the multifaceted approach delineated in this legislation.

5/1/09 S 251 (Hutchinson) Safe Prisons Communications Act of 2009 – CSSA Support. S 251 will help impede the illegal use of contraband cellular phones by prison and jail inmates.  This Act will amend the Federal Communications Act of 1934 to allow cell phone signals to be jammed within correctional facilities.

In recent years, the number of contraband cell phones smuggled into correctional facilities has sky-rocketed and become a tremendous public safety issue.  In some states, the number of cell phones confiscated has doubled over the past two years, while in others, smugglers are using brazen tactics such as slingshots to get cell phones into the hands of individuals behind prison fences.  Once in possession of a cell phone, incarcerated individuals have the opportunity to conduct any number of crimes, ranging from intimidating witnesses, harassing victims, threatening elected officials, and engaging in gang activity.  Although new technologies are being developed to detect and locate cell phones, only cell jamming technologies stop these dangerous phone calls.  State and local corrections agencies should be able to go through the same process that federal agencies do and petition for a waiver. CSSA believes this legislation is a fundamental step in addressing a significant public safety issue.

5/1/09 HR 978 (Altmire) Helicopter Medical Services Patient Safety, Protection, and Coordination Act – CSSA Opposed.

HR has great potential to harm the Sheriffs’ departments that have air rescue / air ambulance operations by allowing state medical authorities to regulate air ambulance aviation operations. Many times in the past we have witnessed the sway private air ambulance operators can have over state and local medical authorities, and this legislation will remove those authorities from federal oversight of aviation operations.

HR 978 would exempt states from many of the federal regulations relative to air ambulances operations and will create the potential for states and their subparts to enact any number of regulations that would severely restrict or eliminate public aircraft from flying patients from emergency events to hospitals.

The provisions of HR 978 will diminish federal aviation authorities’ ability to provide appropriate and knowledgeable nationwide oversight in the air ambulance arena while transferring the authority for such oversight to non-aviation state and local medical authorities.  This will potentially create a lower level of aviation safety and cause a patchwork of local regulations and restrictions.  Aviation regulations and standards should be consistent across the nation, not constantly changing at state or county borders.

2/19/09 Letter of support re funding for the Second Chance Act for FY 2010.  The Second Chance Act, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in April 2008, will help our communities better address the growing population of individuals returning from prisons and jails. The Second Chance Act, a grant program for reentry of offenders into the community and improvements of reentry planning and implementation, is a common sense response to improve outcomes for people released from prisons and jails and returning to our communities.