Justice-related highlights from the "Coronavirus Relief Bill"

By Gretchen Schuldt

​The coronavirus relief bill signed by President Trump last month was the fifth longest bill in the history of the United States, according to govtrack.us. The bill actually deals with a lot more than the COVID crisis and $600 stimulus checks.

It funds the government for the next fiscal year, including the Department of Justice and all of its many arms and related agencies; federal courts, the Department of Homeland Security, and a host of justice-related entities.  

Below are some highlights from the Department of Justice's general administration section. The information and quotes are taken from the House Rules Committee Joint Explanatory Statements. We'll be posting more information over the next few weeks. 

The bill: 

• Provides $153.5 million for state and local law enforcement assistance and Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office grant programs related to police-community relations. This is an increase of $67 million, or 77% (!) above the fiscal year 2020 level. 
  
  
• Includes $5 million for the development and deployment of a database to track excessive use of force and officer misconduct. The Justice Department is "directed to consult with state and local law enforcement agencies, community organizations, and advocacy groups, including those that advocate for the preservation of civil liberties and civil rights." 
  
  
• Supports a previous announcement that DOJ will permit state and local officers to use body-worn cameras on federal task forces. Funding has been provided for the Body-Worn Camera Partnership Program since fiscal year 2016. "However, there are complex issues associated with the use of body-worn cameras, including data storage costs, access under federal records laws, and the need for consistent and accountable deployment of such technology by law enforcement agencies."  The bill "supports continued evaluation of their use by DOJ' s law enforcement components. "

• Provides $13.5 million for the implementation of the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016.
  
  
• Allocates $541.5 million for grant funding to help communities and state and local law enforcement respond to substance abuse, including opioids, stimulants, and synthetic drugs. The amount is $23.5 million, or 4.5%, above the FY2020 level of $518 million.
  
  
• Provides $2.8 billion, an increase of $74.5 million, or 2.7%, for the Drug Enforcement Administration "to strengthen drug trafficking investigations, including those related to heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamines." The budget also supports "the continuation of heroin enforcement teams, methamphetamine and fentanyl cleanup and container programs, and other interdiction and intervention efforts, including DEA's 360 Strategy."
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• Directs the attorney general to establish a Task Force on Law Enforcement Oversight that includes representatives from the Civil Rights Division,  the Office of Justice Programs,  the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the Federal Bureau of  lnvestigation, the Community Relations Service, and the Office of Tribal Justice.  "The Task Force shall consult with professional law enforcement associations, labor organizations, and community-based organizations to coordinate the process of the detection and referral of complaints regarding incidents of alleged law enforcement misconduct."
  
  
• Directs the attorney general to take the lead in developing and implementing consistent accreditation standards for Federal, State, and local law enforcement.
  
  
• Directs the attorney general to ensure implementation of evidence-based training programs on de-escalation, the use-of-force, and the protection of civil rights that are broadly applicable to all Federal law enforcement agencies.​