Vol.10 No.3 - February 2, 1979 - On Capitol Hill: Kennedy Angry Over Carter's Proposed FY'80 LEAA Budget

Sep 29, 2026

A dispute on Capitol Hill centers on Sen. Edward Kennedy’s anger at President Carter’s proposed FY 1980 budget, arguing it would severely cut federal criminal justice funding—especially the LEAA portion—despite the administration’s prior cooperation on S-241. Kennedy criticizes the reductions, details how the Justice System Improvement Act would restructure LEAA into a new umbrella agency, and stresses that major reforms require adequate funding to succeed. The issue also previews related judiciary actions on death-penalty legislation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

On Capitol Hill: Kennedy Angry Over Carter's Proposed FY'80 LEAA Budget

Making Good On A Commitment: Kennedy Says He Will Bring Death Bill Before Senate

In Illinois: Judge Rules Death Law Illegal Because Of State's 'Unlimited Discretion'

Vol.10 No.3 February 2,1979 On Capitol Hill... ## KENNEDY ANGRY OVER CARTER’SPROPOSED FY‘80 LEAA BUDGET One Cannot Help But Wonder About TheAdministration's Future CommitmentTo This Important Program' In a head-on clash with President Carterover his proposed fiscal year 1980 budget,Sen.Edward Kennedy(D-Mass.)has blasted the ad-ministration for attempting to rip the heart outof the nation's criminal justice programs. Calling Carter's proposed budget "unwise,unnecessary and unfair,"Kennedy complainedthat of the $122 million being cut from federalcriminal justice programs,over $100 million willbe sliced out of the LEAA budget. The new chairman of the Senate JudiciaryCommittee said the administration worked withhim and others to reshape the controversial LEAAprogram only to find the White House "singlingout LEAA for excessive reductions in the levelof funding.” Under provisions of the Justice SystemImprovement Act(S-241),which was reintroducedin Congress by Kennedy on Monday,LEAA would,along with the National Institute of Corrections(NIC),become part of a new umbrella agencyknown as the Office of Justice Assistance,Researchand Statistics(OJARS) Importantly,S-241 authorizes a congressionalappropriation of $825 million a year for fouryears.The LEAA's FY‘79 budget was approxi-mately $650 million.The Carter budget would IN THIS ISSUE_ On Capitol Hill:Kennedy Angry Over Carter's Proposed FY‘80 LEAA Budget.. ..1Making Good On A Commitment:Kennedy SaysHe Will Bring Death Bill Before Senate . ...2In Illinois:Judge Rules Death Law Illegal Because Of State's 'Unlimited Discretion'.....2Corrections Commission Scoreboard: Five Accredited And 98 Working.... ..3Stateville Officer Blows Whistle: On Massive Contraband Smuggling. .....4To Comply With Standards:Fla.Moves To Improve Treatment Of Mentally Ⅲ Inmates....6In Tennessee:Pardon Scandal Complicated By Conflicting Court Rulings.... ....6At Federal Honor Farm: Explosion Claims Six Lives.. ..7UPCOMING EVENTS...........7Nationwide Solar Energy Training: Offered To Federal,State Inmates.......7Lawyer-In-Residence'Needed:In Prisons To Represent Inmates Day-To-Day,......8U.S.And Panama To Exchange Prisoners.... 9Wertz Writes Jimmy Carter:Says SPAs Upset Over Proposed FY80 LEAA Budget.. 10Religious Conversion Sweeps Okla.:Inmates Take Up Bible,Are 'Born Again'.....10 reduce the budget for OJARS to around $546million."It appears the LEAA constitutes thelowest priority in the administration's budgetfor law enforcement,"Kennedy said. "Federal officials are all too eager to becomeconscientious budget cutters at the expense ofthe only major federal criminal justice programproviding assistance to the states and localities “One cannot help but wonder about theadministration's future commitment to thisimportant program.” Kennedy is angered because Carter officialscooperated with him in the writing of S-241,only to pull the financial rug out from under thebill at budget time.The Senator said S-241"isdesigned to deal with the problems which haveplagued the agency and limited its impact.Band-aid reforms will not do;major surgery isnecessary....The job is made all the moredifficult,however,if the LEAA lacks the necessaryfunding to make the program work.All thesubstantive reforms...would be undercut. "Rather than throwing out the good withthe bad,rather than simply throwing up ourhands about the nation’s crime problem andsaying,like we do about the weather,that there'snot much we can do,we must reshape and re-structure the LEAA” Kennedy vowed to fight the administration'sbudget cuts and said he willmove to set aside amajor portion of the proposed $546 million LEAAbudget for state and local programs. House Judiciary Committee Chairman PeterRodino(D-N.J.)played a major role in devisingthe LEAA reforms embodied in S-241.TheRodino timetable for reintroducing the bill inthe House,however,is still uncertain. In the House

FAQs

Why did Sen. Edward Kennedy criticize President Carter’s proposed FY 1980 LEAA budget?

Kennedy said the budget would cut the LEAA funding by over $100 million, calling the reductions unwise, unnecessary, and unfair. He argued it would rip out the heart of federal criminal justice programs.

What is S-241, and how would it change LEAA?

S-241, reintroduced by Kennedy, authorizes funding and would reshape LEAA along with the National Institute of Corrections into a new umbrella agency called the Office of Justice Assistance, Research and Statistics (OJARS).

What approach does Kennedy plan for a potential death-penalty bill in the Senate?

Kennedy said he would use his Senate Judiciary Committee chair powers to seek consideration of a death-penalty bill that follows Supreme Court guidelines, including specific jury guidelines and two court proceedings.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by WPS_1786070896