34 U.S.C. § 20504 — Grant program for support of AMBER Alert communications plans

(a) Program required. The Attorney General must run a grant program giving money to states and Indian tribes to develop or improve AMBER Alert communications plans, and to connect tribal AMBER Alert systems with state systems. (b) Activities. Grant money can pay for: education and training programs and materials about AMBER Alert plans; law enforcement programs and equipment for AMBER Alert plans; new technology to improve AMBER Alert communications; connecting state or regional AMBER Alert plans with a territorial government or Indian tribe; and any other activities the Attorney General thinks support the AMBER Alert program. (c) Federal share. Normally, the federal government can pay no more than 50 percent of the cost of grant-funded activities. But if the Attorney General decides American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or an Indian tribe can't meet that 50 percent rule, the Attorney General must waive it for them. (d) Distribution of grant amounts on geographic basis. As much as practically possible, the Attorney General must spread grants fairly across the different regions of the United States, including U.S. territories. (e) Administration. The Attorney General must set rules, including application requirements, and standards to make the grant program more accountable and transparent. (f) Definition of Indian tribe. In this section, "Indian tribe" means a federally recognized tribe, or a Native village, Regional Corporation, or Village Corporation as defined in a separate law (43 U.S.C. § 1602). (g) Authorization of appropriations. Congress authorized $5,000,000 for the Department of Justice for fiscal year 2019 to carry out this section, plus another $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2019 specifically for the activities in subsection (b)(3) and (4), new technology and connecting tribal or territorial systems. Money authorized this way stays available until it's spent.