article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Students Learning in Safe Schools Act of 1999''. SEC. 2. MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL SAFETY EQUIPMENT. (a) In General.--Part Y of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 is amended-- (1) by striking the part designation and part heading and inserting the following: ``PART Y--MATCHING GRANT PROGRAMS ``Subpart A--Grant Program For Armor Vests''; (2) by striking ``this part'' each place that term appears and inserting ``this subpart''; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ``Subpart B--Grant Program For School Safety Equipment ``SEC. 2511. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. ``(a) In General.--The Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance is authorized to make grants to States, units of local government, Indian tribes, and local educational agencies to purchase school safety equipment for use in and near elementary and secondary schools. ``(b) Uses of Funds.--Grants awarded under this section shall be-- ``(1) distributed directly to the State, unit of local government, Indian tribe, or local educational agency, as applicable; and ``(2) used for the purchase of school safety equipment for use in elementary and secondary schools in the jurisdiction of the grantee. ``(c) Preferential Consideration.--In awarding grants under this subpart, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance may give preferential consideration, if feasible, to an application from a jurisdiction that-- ``(1) has the greatest need for school safety equipment, based on the percentage of elementary and secondary schools in the jurisdiction of the applicant that do not have access to such equipment; ``(2) has a violent crime rate at or above the national average as determined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; or ``(3) has not received a block grant under the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant program described under the heading `Violent Crime Reduction Programs, State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance' of the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105-119). ``(d) Minimum Amount.--Unless all eligible applications submitted by any State or unit of local government within such State for a grant under this section have been funded, such State, together with grantees within the State (other than Indian tribes), shall be allocated in each fiscal year under this section not less than 0.50 percent of the total amount appropriated in the fiscal year for grants pursuant to this section except that the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands shall each be allocated .25 percent. ``(e) Maximum Amount.--A qualifying State, unit of local government, Indian tribe, or local educational agency may not receive more than 5 percent of the total amount appropriated in each fiscal year for grants under this section, except that a State, together with the grantees within the State may not receive more than 20 percent of the total amount appropriated in each fiscal year for grants under this section. ``(f) Matching Funds.--The portion of the costs of a program provided by a grant under subsection (a) may not exceed 50 percent. Any funds appropriated by Congress for the activities of any agency of an Indian tribal government or the Bureau of Indian Affairs performing law enforcement functions on any Indian lands may be used to provide the non-Federal share of a matching requirement funded under this subsection. ``(g) Allocation of Funds.--Not less than 50 percent of the total amount made available to carry out this subpart in each fiscal year shall be awarded to units of local government with fewer than 100,000 residents. ``SEC. 2512. APPLICATIONS. ``(a) In General.--To request a grant under this subpart, the chief executive of a State, unit of local government, Indian tribe, or local educational agency shall submit an application to the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance in such form and containing such information as the Director may reasonably require. ``(b) Regulations.-- ``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the Students Learning in Safe Schools Act of 1999, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance shall promulgate regulations to implement this section (including the information that must be included and the requirements that the States, units of local government, Indian tribes, and local educational agencies must meet) in submitting the applications required under this section. ``(2) Internet access.--The regulations promulgated under this subsection shall provide for the availability of applications for, and other information relating to, assistance under this subpart on the Internet website of the Department of Justice, in a manner that is closely linked to the information on that Internet website concerning the program under part Q. ``(c) Eligibility.--A unit of local government that receives funding under the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant program (described under the heading `Violent Crime Reduction Programs, State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance' of the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 104-119)) during a fiscal year in which it submits an application under this subpart shall not be eligible for a grant under this subpart unless the chief executive officer of such unit of local government certifies and provides an explanation to the Director that the unit of local government considered or will consider using funding received under the block grant program for any or all of the costs relating to the purchase of school safety equipment, but did not, or does not expect to use such funds for such purpose. ``SEC. 2513. DEFINITIONS. ``In this subpart-- ``(1) the term `Indian tribe' has the same meaning as in section 4(e) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)); ``(2) the term `school safety equipment' means metal detectors, metal detecting wands, video cameras, and other equipment designed to detect weapons and otherwise enhance school safety; ``(3) the term `State' means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands; and ``(4) the term `unit of local government' means a county, municipality, town, township, village, parish, borough, school district, or other unit of general government below the State level.''. (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 1001(a) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3793(a)) is amended by striking paragraph (23) and inserting the following: ``(23) There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out part Y-- ``(A) $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000 through 2002 for grants under subpart A of that part; and ``(B) $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000 through 2002 for grants under subpart B of that part.''. SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING AMERICAN-MADE PRODUCTS AND EQUIPMENT. In the case of any equipment or products that may be authorized to be purchased with financial assistance provided using funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act, it is the sense of the Congress that entities receiving the assistance should, in expending the assistance, purchase only American-made equipment and products, unless such equipment or products are not readily available at reasonable costs. SEC. 4. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING SCHOOL SECURITY. It is the sense of the Senate that recipients of assistance under subpart B of part Y of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as added by this Act, should, to the maximum extent practicable, seek to achieve a balance between school security needs and the need for an environment that is conducive to learning. SEC. 5. TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT. Section 202 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3722) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(e) School Safety Technology Development.--The Institute shall conduct research and otherwise work to develop new weapons detection technologies and safety systems that are appropriate to school settings.''.
summary: Authorizes appropriations to carry out such new matching grant program for school safety equipment, as well as for the current matching grant program for law enforcement armor vests. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding American-made products and equipment. Expresses the sense of the Senate regarding school security. Amends such Act to direct the National Institute of Justice to conduct research and otherwise work to develop new weapons detection technologies and safety systems that are appropriate to school settings.