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February 4, 2011
Jeff Slowikowski
Acting Administrator
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
810 Seventh Street, NW
Washington, DC 20531
RE: NCSL Comments to “Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Proposed Plan for FY 2011”
Dear Mr. Slowikowski:
On behalf of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), I write in support of the FY 2011 Plan for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCSL commends the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for clarifying the programs and regulations within the plan. State legislators have advocated for these juvenile justice programs at the state level and their continued existence vital to serving at-risk-youth.
NCSL agrees that the establishment of broad-based coalitions will achieve coordination across tribal, local, State, and Federal levels. While we are pleased to see a step toward future collaboration, there is no mention of state elected officials in the section entitled Enhanced Collaboration on page 2137. State legislatures play a critical role--ensuring all federal funds are appropriated according to state law, enacting related legislation, and providing necessary oversight--and should be explicitly included in any collaboration activity and within the plan itself.
NCSL is grateful for the leadership of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for releasing the very important FY 2011 proposed fiscal plan and appreciates the opportunity to comment. NCSL welcomes the opportunity to be a continued resource to on this issue and we look forward to working with you in the future. Your contacts at NCSL are Susan Parnas Frederick, Federal Affairs Counseland Jennifer Arguinzoni, Policy Associate at (202)-624-5400. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Assemblyman William Horne
Chair, NCSL Law and
Criminal Justice Committee
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