Rep. Barbara Comstock’s H.R. 3249 — a bill that establishes a grant program to provide resources to state and local law enforcement agencies to combat gang activity in their communities — sallied through House Judiciary Committee on a voice vote. Comstock offers her remarks via press statement:
“I want to thank Chairman Bob Goodlatte and the members of the Judiciary Committee for passing my legislation, the Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program Authorization Act today. This bill will help steer federal funding toward frontline regional gang task forces like the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force. The resurgence of MS-13 in Northern Virginia has led to at least eight murders over the past year tied to MS-13 and other gangs, representing a 166% increase over last year. The Project Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program Authorization Act will provide vital resources to established regional gang task forces like the one we have here in Northern Virginia so that these brave men and women can get MS-13 off of our streets. I look forward to the bill soon being voted on in the full House.”
The bill authorizes $50 million in new grant funding to help combat gang activity over a two year period, with 30% of these new monies going to already established anti-gang task forces such as the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force.
Comstock’s bill comes as pleasant news as the Virginia gubernatorial contest has refocused on criminal gang violence in the wake of the racist Latino Victory Fund advertisements portraying Republican Ed Gillespie as running down minority children in a pick-up truck flying a Confederate flag — imagery that backfired tremendously in the last week of the campaign.
This news combined with striking evidence from Phil Kerpen that the Northam campaign demonstrably co-ordinated with Soros-funded LVFPAC to the tune of $62,729?
Stack on to it called from progressive-leaning Think Progress that Northam’s flip-flop on sanctuary cities — Northam is now against the measure he described as “despicable” just weeks ago — nudges the embattled Democratic nominee closer to Trump than towards progressive heroes such as Elizabeth Warren and Tom Perriello?
Let’s just say that Northam is probably not ahead by 17 points.
Either way, policy makers on both sides of the aisle in Washington are taking the threat of gang violence and criminal activity deadly seriously — even if Northam is late to the game.
