2022/07/27 Council Agenda Packet

Program Description Overview OJP is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to states and units of local government. BJA will award JAG Program funds to eligible units of local government as described in this FY 2022 JAG Program Local Solicitation. For more information on the JAG Program, please refer to the JAG Fact Sheet and/or JAG Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Statutory Authority: The JAG Program is authorized by Title I of Pub. L. No. 90-351 (generally codified at 34 U.S.C. 10151-10726), including subpart 1 of part E (codified at 34 U.S.C. 10151-10158); see also 28 U.S.C. 530C(a). Specific Information Statutory Formula JAG awards are based on a statutory formula that is fully described within the JAG Technical Report. Once each fiscal year's overall JAG Program funding level is determined, BJA works with the Bureau of Justice Statistics to begin a four -step grant award calculation process, which, in general, consists of: 1. Computing an initial JAG allocation for each state, based on its share of violent crime and population (weighted equally). 2. Reviewing the initial JAG allocation amount to determine if the state allocation is less than the minimum award amount defined in the JAG legislation (0.25 percent of the total). If this is the case, the state is funded at the minimum level, and the funds required for this are deducted from the overall pool of JAG funds. Each of the remaining states receives the minimum award plus an additional amount based on its share of violent crime and population. 3. Dividing each state's final award amount (except for the territories and the District of Columbia) between the state and its units of local governments at rates of 60 and 40 percent, respectively. 4. Determining units of local government award allocations, which are based on their proportion of the state's 3-year violent crime average. If the "eligible award amount" for a particular unit of local government, as determined on this basis, is $10,000 or more, then the unit of local government is eligible to apply directly to OJP (under the JAG Local Solicitation) for a JAG award. If the "eligible award amount" for a particular unit of local government, as determined on this basis, is less than $10,000, however, the funds are not made available for a direct award to that particular unit of local government, but instead are added to the amount that is awarded to the state Allocation Determination and Units of Local Government Requirements Regarding Use of JAG Funds Eligible allocations under JAG are posted annually on the JAG web page. According to the JAG Program statute, a "disparity" may exist between the funding eligibility of a county and its associated municipalities. See 34 U.S.C. § 10156(d)(4). Units of local government identified by BJA as disparate must select a fiscal agent that will submit a joint application for the allocation to include all disparate municipalities. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) that identifies which jurisdiction will serve as the applicant or fiscal agent for joint funds must be completed and signed by the authorized representative for each participating jurisdiction. Once an award is made, the fiscal agent will be responsible for distributing award funds to the other jurisdictions in the disparate group through subawards that include all appropriate award conditions. To verify eligibility on the JAG web page, an applicant should click on its respective state and note the following regarding the state's allocation table: Page 5 of 23 O-BJA-2022-171368