WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House of Representatives has approved the $64.4 billion appropriation bill containing fiscal year 2010 funding for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and scientific agencies, including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House of Representatives has approved the $64.4 billion appropriation bill containing fiscal year 2010 funding for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and scientific agencies, including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation, a news release from Rep. Neil Abercrombie’s office states.
The Justice Department budget includes funding requested by Abercrombie for two Hawai‘i organizations: Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center ($200,000) and Girl Scouts Beyond Bars ($1.35 million).
The Hawai‘i Immigrant Justice Center will provide access to legal assistance, medical, case management and social services to indigent victims of abuse, torture or trafficking, the release says. The goal is to end human slavery through direct legal services, community education, outreach and collaboration with law enforcement officials.
The Justice Center will also offer safe haven to individuals persecuted in their home countries, promote family unity and provide comprehensive services to low-income immigrants. About two-thirds of impoverished immigrants who receive free legal services are victims of trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, the release says.
“The entire community benefits when we help this vulnerable population,” said Abercrombie in the release. “We spend less on hospital treatment for uninsured immigrants and public benefits. We reduce both their involvement in crime and their susceptibility to crime. And, ultimately, these services help stabilize families and create more tax-paying legal residents.”
Girl Scouts Beyond Bars brings opportunities through the Girls Scout program to develop high values and critical life skills to girls with mothers who are incarcerated, or who have themselves been adjudicated, are wards of the court, or court-referred delinquents, the release says.
Through GSBB, incarcerated mothers can take part in mother/daughter Girl Scout meetings, lead troop meetings and develop skills in leadership, conflict resolution and parenting, all critical to their success in family life and employment after incarceration. GSBB also provides programming to mothers in pre-release and post-release transitional facilities to help strengthen the mother/daughter bond and reduce recidivism.
The program also supports the Girl Scouts in Detention Centers program, which provide girls who are “in the system” with Girl Scout activities to help them become healthy, productive women. GSBB and GSDC both save the public money. The annual cost of a GSBB program is approximately $2,000 per girl. The average cost of detaining a juvenile is $35,000.
The House-passed appropriation bill increased funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services program by $252 million above last year to help local communities hire law enforcement personnel, provide training and stay abreast of advances in law enforcement technology. Combined with the $1 billion in President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act approved by Congress in February, this will allow the hiring of more than 7,000 police officers across the country, and as many as 31 more police officers in Hawai‘i, the release says.
The Office of Justice Programs was funded at $2.2 billion for next year, $407 million above 2009. These programs help financially-strapped state and local governments pay for crime prevention, Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, drug courts and programs for at-risk youth and missing or abused children.
The House also increased the allocation for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by $238 million over this year to fund ocean, weather and climate research, and for satellite acquisition.
