FY 2020 NARIP

The NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, P. L. 110-180 ("NIAA"), was initially signed into law by the President on January 8, 2008 (reauthorized by Title VI of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, P.L. 115-141). The NIAA amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 ("the Brady Act") (Pub. L. 103-159), under which the Attorney General established the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The Brady Act requires Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to contact the NICS before transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person for information on whether the proposed transferee is prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm under state or federal law. The NIAA authorizes grants to be made in a manner consistent with the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP).

Under this award, the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement (LCLE) intends to work in partnership with the Louisiana Supreme Court’s Case Management Information System (CMIS) to coordinate the development and the integration of the state’s various criminal justice information systems. Funds are being requested to develop and implement a supplemental electronic data exchange model between sheriffs, district attorneys, and clerks of court to improve the completeness, automation, and transmittal of first appearance, criminal case filing information, criminal disposition information, interim mental health adjudications, court ordered firearm prohibitions and other qualifying events that prohibit a person from purchasing or possessing a firearm and reporting to NCIC and NICS, the Louisiana Computerized Criminal History (LACCH), and for sharing with the Interstate Identification Index (III). CMIS will also implement a Disposition Task Force pilot program to research felonies, misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence, mental health adjudication records and others that are qualified to but have failed to post to LACCH, and for sharing with III and the FBI NCIC and NICS databases due to missing critical information. The critical data which may be lacking, incomplete or incorrect are: arrest date, offense date, state ID number (SID), relationship to victim in misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence, complete case filing and disposition information. In addition, CMIS plans to create a modernized Concealed Handgun Permit system at the Louisiana State Police, Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information to improve the accuracy, quality, timeliness and immediate accessibility and integration of state criminal history and related records to NICS.

Funds will be used to pay for management and program support personnel, who will perform coordination and monitoring activities, including programmatic and fiscal oversight. In-state travel to conduct site visits and conference travel fees will also be covered under this award.

(CA/NCF)