What are the deadlines to meet the various requirements?

September 12, 1999: Original Wetterling Act
September 12, 1999: Megan's Law
October 2, 2001: Pam Lychner Act
November 25, 2002: CJSA Amendments
October 27, 2002: Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act

All of the dates above include any available 2-year extensions and, as a result, are the final deadlines.

To whom do I send compliance documentation?

Please send all compliance documentation to

J.A. Marshall, Jr., Director
State and Local Assistance Division
Bureau of Justice Assistance
810 Seventh Street NW.
Fourth Floor
Washington, DC 20531
202-616-3215

A courtesy copy should be mailed to

Where can I obtain a copy of the Jacob Wetterling Act and appropriate guidance?

The Jacob Wetterling Act (42 U.S.C. § 14071 (2001)) is available on the Internet at http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/42/14071.html.

The Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act (Pub. L. No.106-386, div. B, tit. VI, sec. 1601) may be found on the Internet at http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d106/d106laws.html.

The Final Guidelines for the Jacob Wetterling Act (64 Fed. Reg. 572 (Jan. 5, 1999)) are available on the Internet at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/laws/jwatoc.htm.

The Proposed Guidelines for the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act (67 Fed. Reg. 10758 (Mar. 8, 2002)) are available on the Internet at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2002_register&docid=02-5509-filed.

What are BJA's and OGC's roles in determining compliance with the Jacob Wetterling Act?

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administers the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Formula Grant Program (Byrne Formula Grant Program). The Jacob Wetterling Act imposes on noncompliant states a 10-percent reduction in funding to the state's Byrne Formula Grant Program. The Office of Justice Programs, Office of General Counsel (OGC) provides substantive reviews of states' compliance submissions at the request of BJA. BJA determines, based on OGC's review, whether to impose a 10-percent penalty.

Additionally, Director Nedelkoff is committed to working with the states and being as reasonable as possible within the requirements imposed by the Jacob Wetterling Act.

Whom do I contact for help?

Jay Marshall is available to answer any questions a state may have about its compliance status. Please feel free to contact Mr. Marshall to discuss issues of concern.

What is the status of BJA's review of my state's compliance documentation?

BJA and OGC are currently working as best we can to review each state's submission in a timely manner. If you have a specific concern requiring immediate attention, please contact Scott Cooper at coopers@ojp.usdoj.gov or 202-353-8637.

Does BJA have any authority to extend the deadlines?

No. The above deadlines for each amendment to the Jacob Wetterling Act reflect the statutory deadlines. BJA has no authority to extend these deadlines. BJA is required to penalize states only during the federal fiscal years for which they remain noncompliant. As a result, if a state comes into compliance at any point during a federal fiscal year, BJA may return to the state the 10-percent penalty for that fiscal year only. Following are the two possible scenarios under which this may happen:

• If a state becomes compliant before a Byrne award is issued, the penalty will not be assessed.

• If a state becomes compliant after an award is issued but before September 30 of that year, BJA will return the 10 percent to the state either as a grant supplement or with the following year's grant.

Note: To meet these requirements, a state must submit its compliance documentation, and the compliant changes must be in effect before the end of the fiscal year, September 30.