Attorney General Holder Announces Recovery Act Grant to Save or Create Justice Related Georgia Jobs

/PRNewswire / -- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that more than $36 million in Recovery Act funds will go to the State of Georgia to maintain or increase public safety in the state, while creating or retaining jobs within the law enforcement community. These Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program funds are part of more than $4 billion in Justice Department Recovery Act funds available to assist state, local and tribal law enforcement and for other criminal justice activities that help to prevent crime and improve the criminal justice system in the United States while supporting the creation of jobs and much needed resources for states and local communities.

As submitted in their application, the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council plans to promote safe communities and stable families where children can thrive; provide a safe environment where Georgians live, work, and play; provide a safe, secure state by effectively managing and rehabilitating offenders; promote homeland security and emergency preparedness for natural and man-made disasters or acts of terrorism; and reduce loss of life and injury on Georgia's roads. Georgia is required to provide a portion of the $36.2 million to the local jurisdictions.

"By addressing Georgia's economic challenges while simultaneously meeting the state's public safety priorities, these funds represent the best of what the Recovery Act can do for our communities," Attorney General Eric Holder said. "This vital funding will help fight crime and build safer communities, and we look forward to continued work with Georgia to address these criminal justice goals."

The procedure for allocating JAG grants is based on a formula of population and violent crime statistics, in combination with a minimum allocation to ensure that each state and territory receives an appropriate share of funding. Sixty percent of the allocation is awarded directly to a state and 40 percent is set aside for units of local government. States are required to sub-grant a portion of the funds to local units of government, such as a city, county, township or town. Faith-based and other community organizations are also eligible to receive pass-through funding from the state, as are Tribal governments.

In addition to the $36.2 million to the state, seven local units of government will receive Recovery Act JAG awards: $222,330 to Athens Clarke County Unified Government, $48,474 to Cherokee County, $670,806 to Clayton County, $128,245 to Hall County, $155,917 to Newton County, $28,626 to Thomas County, and $131,871 to the City of Smyrna. All other local Recovery Act JAG awards will be announced at a later date. The deadline for local units of government to submit their Recovery Act applications to the Department of Justice has been extended to June 17, 2009. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), a component of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, established the previous deadline of May 18 to encourage early submission of applications in an effort to provide economic stimulus as soon as possible. Because this is a non-competitive formula grant program, the extension of this deadline does not impact either eligibility or funding determinations. For more local solicitation information, visit http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/recoveryJAG/JAGrecoveryLocal.pdf.

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