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Dawson Family Community Protection Act
To amend the Office of National Drug Control Policy Act Reauthorization Act of 1998 to ensure that adequate funding is provided for certain high intensity drug trafficking areas.
Summary
The bill amends the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program to require that at least $1 million per fiscal year be dedicated to high-intensity drug trafficking areas with severe neighborhood safety and illegal drug distribution problems. The funds are intended to ensure neighborhood safety and community protection, prevent intimidation of potential witnesses, and combat illegal drug trafficking through methods such as establishing a toll-free hotline for the public to report drug-related activities. The bill was enacted in response to a 2002 firebombing in Baltimore in which a family's home was targeted in apparent retaliation for reporting drug distribution activity to police.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
2 cosponsors
Actions (6)
- Sep 30, 2003 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H8968)
- Sep 16, 2003 Referred to the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources. · house
- Apr 24, 2003 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Chairman. · house
- Apr 3, 2003 Referred to the Committee on Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. · house
- Apr 3, 2003 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H2837-2838)
- Apr 3, 2003 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 3, 2003
Mr. Cummings (for himself and Mr. Souder) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To amend the Office of National Drug Control Policy Act Reauthorization Act of 1998 to ensure that adequate funding is provided for certain high intensity drug trafficking areas.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Dawson Family Community Protection Act”.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) In the early morning hours of October 16, 2002, the home of Carnell and Angela Dawson was firebombed in apparent retaliation for Mrs. Dawson’s notification of police about persistent drug distribution activity in their East Baltimore City neighborhood.
(2) The arson claimed the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Dawson and their 5 young children, aged 9 to 14.
(3) The horrific murder of the Dawson family is a stark example of domestic narco-terrorism.
(4) In all phases of counter-narcotics law enforcement— from prevention to investigation to prosecution to reentry—the voluntary cooperation of ordinary citizens is a critical component.
(5) Voluntary cooperation is difficult for law enforcement officials to obtain when citizens feel that cooperation carries the risk of violent retaliation by illegal drug trafficking organizations and their affiliates.
(6) Public confidence that law enforcement is doing all it can to make communities safe is a prerequisite for voluntary cooperation among people who may be subject to intimidation or reprisal (or both).
(7) Witness protection programs are insufficient on their own to provide security because many individuals and families who strive everyday to make distressed neighborhoods livable for their children, other relatives, and neighbors will resist or refuse offers of relocation by local, State, and Federal prosecutorial agencies and because, moreover, the continued presence of strong individuals and families is critical to preserving and strengthening the social fabric in such communities.
(8) Where (as in certain sections of Baltimore City) interstate trafficking of illegal drugs has severe ancillary local consequences within areas designated as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, it is important that supplementary HIDTA Program funds be committed to support initiatives aimed at making the affected communities safe for the residents of those communities and encouraging their cooperation with local, State, and Federal law enforcement efforts to combat illegal drug trafficking.
SEC. 3. FUNDING FOR CERTAIN HIGH INTENSITY DRUG TRAFFICKING AREAS.
(a) In General.—Section 707(d) of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Act Reauthorization Act of 1998 (21 U.S.C. 1760(d); Public Law 105-277; 112 Stat. 2681-670) is amended—
(1) by striking “The Director” and inserting the following:
“(1) Limitation.—The Director”; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(2) Specific purposes.—The Director shall ensure that, of the amounts appropriated for a fiscal year for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program, at least $1,000,000 is used in high intensity drug trafficking areas with severe neighborhood safety and illegal drug distribution problems. The funds shall be used—
“(A) to ensure the safety of neighborhoods and the protection of communities, including the prevention of the intimidation of potential witnesses of illegal drug distribution and related activities; and
“(B) to combat illegal drug trafficking through such methods as the Director considers appropriate, such as establishing or operating (or both) a toll-free telephone hotline for use by the public to provide information about illegal drug-related activities.”. <all>
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