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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

16.554:  National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP)

Objectives:  To enhance the quality and completeness of the nation's criminal history record systems; to provide financial and technical assistance to States for the establishment or improvement of computerized criminal history record systems and in their efforts to collect data on stalking and domestic violence; to improve data accessibility and support data transmissions to the national system which will permit the immediate identification of persons who are prohibited from purchasing firearms, are subject to domestic violence protective orders, or are ineligible to hold positions of responsibility involving children, the elderly, or the disabled; to support the development of accurate and complete State sex offender identification and registration systems which interface with the FBI's Sex Offender Registry and meet applicable Federal and State requirements; to develop and improve the processes for identifying, classifying, collecting, and entering data regarding stalking and domestic violence into local, State, and national crime information databases; to ensure that criminal justice systems are designed, implemented, or upgraded to be Year-2000 NICS and IAFIS, compliant and meet applicable statewide or regional criminal justice information sharing standards and plans; and, build upon ongoing efforts so as to support the wide range of technology based, criminal justice information, identification, and communications needs identified by the states.

PROGRAM AND AWARD	FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS	FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS	INFORMATION CONTACTS
RELATED PROGRAMS	ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS	POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

16.554 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:  Awards will be made to the agency designated by the Governor to administer the NCHIP program. An award will be made to each eligible applicant State. The designated agency may be the agency with primary responsibility for implementing the major activity to be funded with NCHIP funds or a parent agency with programmatic oversight over, and legislative authority to transfer funds to, such agency.

Beneficiary Eligibility:  Funds awarded to the State may be allocated for use in State or local agencies or the courts. Private organizations may receive funds under contract arrangements with a governmental unit to which NCHIP funds are allocated by the State.

Credentials/Documentation:  The applicant must furnish, along with the application for an award, a detailed budget, a budget narrative, and a program narrative including the goals, impact, methods, evaluation plan, and resources of the project.

16.554 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  A potential grantee should contact the Headquarters Office to obtain a copy of the program announcement. The standard application forms as furnished by the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), in accordance with 28, CFR Part 66 (Common Rule), must be used for this program. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.

Application Procedure:  Application forms are available through inquiry to the Grants/Contracts Management Division, OJP, Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20531.

Award Procedure:  An award is granted by the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics and must be accepted by the applicant agency or institution according to the special conditions of the grant or cooperative agreement.

Deadlines:  Contact the Headquarters Office for application deadlines. The NCHIP Program Announcement, also contains submission information.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  About 90 days.

Appeals:  Hearing by Director.

Renewals:  Awards may be for up to 12 months. Activities must be completed by July 31, 2002.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  Criteria are described in the fiscal year 2000 NCHIP Program Announcement.

Examples of Funded Projects:  Not applicable.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  Not applicable.

16.554 RELATED PROGRAMS:

16.554 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

16.554 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS, BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Type of Assistance:  Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements).

Obligations:  (Grants) FY 99 $47,336,727; FY 00 est $36,161,050; and FY 01 est $70,000,000.

Budget Account Number:  15-0404-0-1-754.

Authorization:  Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, Public Law 105-251; 42 U.S.C. 3760.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  Office of Justice Programs Financial Guide.

16.554 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  None.

Headquarters Office:  Carol G. Kaplan, Chief, Criminal History Improvement Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20531. Phone: (202) 307-0759. Use the same number for FTS.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

16.554 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  There is no statutory requirement for matching funds. For most programs, however, provision of cash or in-kind match by the recipient is encouraged.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  Project duration period will be for up to 12 months. Funds will be made available by "direct disbursement" at request of grantee or by Letter of Credit.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  Allowable uses of funds are outlined in the NCHIP fiscal year 2000 Program Announcement expected for release in February/March 2000. Allowable costs include costs associated with participation in the Interstate Identification Index (III), the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), and the National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR), database automation and record improvements, record flagging, AFIS/livescan, interface with systems compatible with the National Incident-Based Reporting System, relevant equipment, training, and research.

16.554 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  Reporting requirements include: Financial Status Reports containing the actual expenditures for the reporting period and cumulative for the award to be submitted quarterly; and Program Reports presenting information relevant to the performance of the project to be submitted biannually.

Audits:  State and Local Governments: Recipients who receive $300,000 or more of Federal funds during their fiscal year are required to submit an organization-wide financial and compliance audit report. The audit must be performed in accordance with the U.S. General Accounting Office Government Auditing Standards.

Records:  In accordance with the requirements set forth in 28 CFR Parts 66 and 70, all financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to the award shall be retained by each organization for at least three years following the closure of the most recent audit report.