The Fine Print in the Mini-Bus and Defense Bills

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Sun Nov 20, 2011 at 08:34:42 PM EST
Tags: 2012 budget bills (all tags)

Share This: Digg!

The mini-bus spending bill passed by Congress and signed by Obama is chock-full of law enforcement and prison spending -- $27.4 billion, including increases of $4 billion for the FBI, DEA, ATF and Marshal's Service. The FBI gets an additional $1.1 billion "for new initiatives in national security, surveillance, violent crime and cyber security." The Senate removed a provision that a portion had to go to something called "special surveillance groups." But the DEA is getting $10 million to expand the El Paso Intelligence Center. There's $90 million for prison construction. (Start on page 234.)

It also has detainee and abortion-funding restrictions for female prisoners. (Sections 202-204.) And it tells the Bureau of prisons it can't spend money on cable TV services or videos for inmate recreational purposes. [More...]

SEC. 209. (a) None of the funds appropriated
by this Act may be used by Federal prisons to
purchase cable television services, to rent or
purchase videocassettes, videocassette recorders,
or other audiovisual or electronic equipment
used primarily for recreational purposes.
(b) The preceding sentence does not preclude
the renting, maintenance, or purchase of audiovisual or electronic equipment for inmate training,religious, or educational programs.

Sounds like this company needs a better lobbyist. Doesn't Congress get that cable tv and movies actually make prisons safer, especially for those who work there? Bored and angry inmates are a recipe for violence.

There's also $100 million for security for the 2012 national conventions.

Next up: The National Defense Authorization Act of 2012. Section 1011 extends the military's funding of counter-drug activities of other government agencies for another five years. Section 1012 extends the military's funding of foreign government counter-drug activities for five years -- until 2017 -- to the tune of $100,000,000 ($100 million.) It adds lots of countries in Africa, as well as Nicaragua. Section 1015 authorizes another year of funding for combined terror/drug activities in Colombia.

The real fun starts on pa