§ 3712b. Weed and Seed strategies

(a) In general

From amounts made available under section 3712a (c) of this title, the Director of the Office of Weed and Seed Strategies may implement strategies, to be known as Weed and Seed strategies, to prevent, control, and reduce violent crime, criminal drug-related activity, and gang activity in designated Weed-and-Seed communities. Each such strategy shall involve both of the following activities:

(1) Weeding

Activities, to be known as Weeding activities, which shall include promoting and coordinating a broad spectrum of community efforts (especially those of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors) to arrest, and to sanction or incarcerate, persons in that community who participate or engage in violent crime, criminal drug-related activity, and other crimes that threaten the quality of life in that community.

(2) Seeding

Activities, to be known as Seeding activities, which shall include promoting and coordinating a broad spectrum of community efforts (such as drug abuse education, mentoring, and employment counseling) to provide—

(A) human services, relating to prevention, intervention, or treatment, for at-risk individuals and families; and

(B) community revitalization efforts, including enforcement of building codes and development of the economy.

(b) Guidelines

The Director shall issue guidelines for the development and implementation of Weed and Seed strategies under this section. The guidelines shall ensure that the Weed and Seed strategy for a community referred to in subsection (a) of this section shall—

(1) be planned and implemented through and under the auspices of a steering committee, properly established in the community, comprised of—

(A) in a voting capacity, representatives of—

(i) appropriate law enforcement agencies; and

(ii) other public and private agencies, and neighborhood and community-based organizations, interested in criminal justice and community-based development and revitalization in the community; and

(B) in a voting capacity, both—

(i) the Drug Enforcement Administration’s special agent in charge for the jurisdiction encompassing the community; and

(ii) the United States Attorney for the District encompassing the community;

(2) describe how law enforcement agencies, other public and private agencies, neighborhood and community-based organizations, and interested citizens are to cooperate in implementing the strategy; and

(3) incorporate a community-policing component that shall serve as a bridge between the Weeding activities under subsection (a)(1) of this section and the Seeding activities under subsection (a)(2) of this section.

For a community to be designated as a Weed-and-Seed community for purposes of subsection (a) of this section—

(1) the United States Attorney for the District encompassing the community must certify to the Director that—

(A) the community suffers from consistently high levels of crime or otherwise is appropriate for such designation;

(B) the Weed and Seed strategy proposed, adopted, or implemented by the steering committee has a high probability of improving the criminal justice system within the community and contains all the elements required by the Director; and

(2) the community must agree to formulate a timely and effective plan to independently sustain the strategy (or, at a minimum, a majority of the best practices of the strategy) when assistance under this section is no longer available.

(d) Application

An application for designation as a Weed-and-Seed community for purposes of subsection (a) of this section shall be submitted to the Director by the steering committee of the community in such form, and containing such information and assurances, as the Director may require. The application shall propose—

(1) a sustainable Weed and Seed strategy that includes—

(A) the active involvement of the United States Attorney for the District encompassing the community, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s special agent in charge for the jurisdiction encompassing the community, and other Federal law enforcement agencies operating in the vicinity;

(B) a significant community-oriented policing component; and

(2) a methodology with outcome measures and specific objective indicia of performance to be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy.

(e) Grants

(1) In general

In implementing a strategy for a community under subsection (a) of this section, the Director may make grants to that community.

(2) Uses

For each grant under this subsection, the community receiving that grant may not use any of the grant amounts for construction, except that the Assistant Attorney General may authorize use of grant amounts for incidental or minor construction, renovation, or remodeling.

(3) Limitations

A community may not receive grants under this subsection (or fall within such a community)—

(A) for a period of more than 10 fiscal years;

(B) for more than 5 separate fiscal years, except that the Assistant Attorney General may, in single increments and only upon a showing of extraordinary circumstances, authorize grants for not more than 3 additional separate fiscal years; or

(C) in an aggregate amount of more than $1,000,000, except that the Assistant Attorney General may, upon a showing of extraordinary circumstances, authorize grants for not more than an additional $500,000.

(4) Distribution

In making grants under this subsection, the Director shall ensure that—

(A) to the extent practicable, the distribution of such grants is geographically equitable and includes both urban and rural areas of varying population and area; and

(B) priority is given to communities that clearly and effectively coordinate crime prevention programs with other Federal programs in a manner that addresses the overall needs of such communities.

(5) Federal share

(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), the Federal share of a grant under this subsection may not exceed 75 percent of the total costs of the projects described in the application for which the grant was made.

(B) The requirement of subparagraph (A)—

(i) may be satisfied in cash or in kind; and

(ii) may be waived by the Assistant Attorney General upon a determination that the financial circumstances affecting the applicant warrant a finding that such a waiver is equitable.

(6) Supplement, not supplant

To receive a grant under this subsection, the applicant must provide assurances that the amounts received under the grant shall be used to supplement, not supplant, non-Federal funds that would otherwise be available for programs or services provided in the community.

U.S. Code

§ 3712b. Weed and Seed strategies