Invest to Protect Act of 2022

Invest to Protect Act of 2022

This bill directs the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to award grants to local and tribal governments that employ fewer than 125 law enforcement officers. Grant funds may be used for various activities, including to provide de-escalation training and improve recruitment and retention.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6448 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6448

  To direct the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing 
 Services of the Department of Justice to carry out a grant program to 
   provide assistance to police departments with fewer than 200 law 
             enforcement officers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 20, 2022

Mr. Gottheimer (for himself, Ms. Spanberger, Mr. Suozzi, Ms. Sherrill, 
  Ms. Slotkin, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Case, Mrs. 
    Luria, Mr. Costa, Mrs. Demings, Mr. Golden, Mr. O'Halleran, Mr. 
 Delgado, Mrs. Axne, Ms. Craig, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Vela, Mrs. 
 Lee of Nevada, Mr. Schrader, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Ms. Kuster, Mr. 
 Bacon, Mr. Upton, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Reed, Mr. Valadao, Mr. Mullin, Mr. 
    Meijer, Mr. Meuser, Mr. Smith of Missouri, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. 
Rutherford, Mr. Katko, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, 
   Ms. Herrera Beutler, Mr. Westerman, and Mr. Steil) introduced the 
  following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing 
 Services of the Department of Justice to carry out a grant program to 
   provide assistance to police departments with fewer than 200 law 
             enforcement officers, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Invest to Protect Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a grant program--
            (1) to provide training, body cameras, and access to mental 
        health resources to local law enforcement officers; and
            (2) to improve recruitment and retention of local law 
        enforcement officers.
    (b) Authority.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing 
Services of the Department of Justice shall make a grant to an eligible 
local government.
    (c) Eligible Activities.--Amounts from a grant made under this 
section may be used only for--
            (1) de-escalation training for law enforcement officers;
            (2) training for law enforcement officers in handling 
        situations of domestic violence;
            (3) law enforcement officer safety training;
            (4) the offsetting of overtime costs associated with 
        scheduling issues when a law enforcement officer is 
        participating in such training;
            (5) the purchasing, storage, operation, and securing of 
        body cameras, in accordance with guidelines established by the 
        eligible local government or by the Attorney General under 
        subsection (d) of this section, until the eligible local 
        government establishes such guidelines;
            (6) a signing bonus for a law enforcement officer in an 
        amount determined by the eligible local government;
            (7) a retention bonus for a law enforcement officer in an 
        amount determined by the eligible local government;
            (8) a stipend to be used for graduate education in the area 
        of mental health, public health, or social work in an amount 
        not greater than the lesser of--
                    (A) $10,000; or
                    (B) the amount the law enforcement officer has paid 
                towards such education; or
            (9) providing access for law enforcement officers to 
        evidence-based mental health services, treatments, and 
        therapies.
    (d) Body Camera Guidelines.--Not later than 60 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish 
guidelines to be used by an eligible local government until such 
eligible local government establishes guidelines regarding purchasing, 
storage, operation, and securing of body cameras based on existing 
industry best-practices.
    (e) Disclosure of Officer Recruitment and Retention Bonuses.--An 
eligible local government shall disclose to the Attorney General and 
make publicly available on a website of the eligible local government 
the amount of any officer recruitment and retention bonus given under 
subsection (b)(3) of this section.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
    (g) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) De-escalation training.--The term ``de-escalation 
        training'' means a process or tactic used to prevent, reduce, 
        or manage behaviors associated with conflict (including verbal 
        or physical agitation, aggression, violence, or similar 
        behaviors) during an interaction between two or more 
        individuals.
            (2) Eligible local government.--The term ``eligible local 
        government'' means--
                    (A) a county, municipality, town, township, 
                village, parish, borough, or other unit of general 
                government below the State level that employs fewer 
                than 200 law enforcement officers; or
                    (B) a tribal government that employs fewer than 200 
                law enforcement officers.
            (3) Law enforcement officer.--The term ``law enforcement 
        officer'' has the meaning given that term in section 2503 of 
        the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
        U.S.C. 10533).
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