Ralph Northam’s final budget as governor includes $27.4 million to establish a Center for Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention within the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services.
The outgoing governor said that the center would collect data on gun violence to curb crime.
As you’d imagine, Bacon’s Rebellion had a different take:
Setting aside the obvious politics surrounding the subject matter, as a budget analyst, I would ask, “What in the world are they going to spend $27.4 million on?” In his remarks, the Governor talked about collecting data on gun violence and analyzing it. OK. I am always in support of gathering data. So, add two or three well-trained analysts and statisticians to DCJS’s existing research center. Now we are down to about $27 million. What is that to be used for? There was some vague reference to providing resources to localities and community-based organizations, but no explanation as to what that means.
And why do you need a “Center”? That is just more bureaucracy.
This was not an item requested by the agency; at least, it is not included in the budget requests submitted to the Department of Planning and Budget (DPB). That means it originated in the Governor’s policy office and the amount of money attached to it was probably pulled out of the air.
When I was at DPB, we analysts would hate items like this that came out of the policy office. They were usually not well thought out and the appropriations attached to them bore little resemblance to reality. Another reason we hated them was that we knew that the proposals were bound for oblivion and the Governor had just handed money over to the General Assembly to use on its priorities when we knew there were things in the agencies we worked with that needed support, but were not getting it because those items did not have political sex appeal. I am sure that the staff members of the General Assembly money committees rubbed their hands with glee when they saw this story, saying, “Oh boy, another $27 million for us to use!”