text: 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.''.
target: 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.
feat_title: Students Learning in Safe Schools Act of 1999