Auto Theft Prevention Act
This bill establishes a grant program and allows other grants to be used to combat auto theft and stolen automobile trafficking.
Specifically, the bill directs the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to award grants for state and local law enforcement agencies to combat auto theft and stolen vehicle trafficking. Grant funds must be used for specified purposes, including to purchase equipment, hire additional law enforcement officers, and provide resources and training.
The bill also allows funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services grant program to be used to combat auto thefts and stolen automobile trafficking.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9188 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9188
To provide funding to State and local law enforcement agencies to
combat auto theft and stolen automobile trafficking, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 14, 2022
Ms. Sherrill (for herself, Mr. Bacon, Ms. Craig, Mr. Carbajal, Mr.
Gottheimer, Mr. Kim of New Jersey, and Mr. Trone) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide funding to State and local law enforcement agencies to
combat auto theft and stolen automobile trafficking, 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 ``Auto Theft Prevention Act''.
SEC. 2. AUTO THEFT PREVENTION GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Community Oriented
Policing Services of the Department of Justice shall establish an auto
theft prevention grant program (in this Act referred to as the
``Program'') to provide funding to State law enforcement agencies and
local law enforcement agencies to combat auto theft and stolen vehicle
trafficking.
(b) Eligible Recipient.--The Director shall make grants under the
Program to the Attorney General of each State, with the amount awarded
determined by prioritizing States with a higher rate of auto thefts as
determined by an equal weighting of the--
(1) rate of auto thefts faced by the State in the year
prior to the date of enactment of this Act; and
(2) percentage increase in auto thefts between the year
that is three years prior to the date of the enactment of this
Act and the year prior to the date of the enactment of this
Act.
(c) Distribution of Funds.--
(1) Local law enforcement agencies.--The Attorney General
of a State shall make at least 50 percent of a grant awarded
under subsection (b) available as competitive subgrants to
local law enforcement agencies to combat auto theft, with the
amount awarded determined by prioritizing localities with a
higher rate of auto theft as determined by an equal weighting
of the--
(A) rate of auto thefts faced by the locality in
the year prior to the date of enactment of this Act;
and
(B) percentage increase in auto thefts between
three years prior to the date of the enactment of this
Act and the year prior to the date of the enactment of
this Act.
(2) State law enforcement agencies.--The Attorney General
of a State shall make at least 25 percent of a grant awarded
under subsection (b) available as competitive grants to State
law enforcement agencies to combat auto theft.
(3) Other amounts.--The Attorney General of a State shall
make any proportion of the grant awarded under subsection (b)
not allocated under paragraph (1) or (2) available as
competitive subgrants to local law enforcement agencies or
competitive grants to State law enforcement agencies. Any
subgrant made under this paragraph to a local law enforcement
agency shall follow the prioritization pursuant to paragraph
(1).
(d) Eligible Activities.--Amounts from a grant awarded under
subsection (b) may only be used for the purpose of combating auto theft
and combating stolen automobile trafficking, including--
(1) purchasing equipment used to combat auto theft, such as
law enforcement vehicles and license plate readers;
(2) hiring additional law enforcement officers and support
staff to combat auto theft;
(3) funding overtime costs and additional compensation for
law enforcement officers and support staff involved in
combating auto theft;
(4) providing training for law enforcement officers and
support staff to combat auto theft;
(5) providing resources for joint task forces established
to combat auto theft; and
(6) funding law enforcement data collection and research
activities related to combating auto theft.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to
carry out the Program.
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZED USES OF COPS GRANT PROGRAM FUNDS.
Section 1701(b) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act
of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(b)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraph (23) as paragraph (24);
(2) in paragraph (22)--
(A) by striking ``(21)'' and inserting ``(22)'';
and
(B) by redesignating paragraph (22) as paragraph
(23); and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (21), the following:
``(22) to combat auto thefts and combat stolen automobile
trafficking by purchasing equipment, hiring law enforcement
officers and support staff, covering overtime and officer
compensation costs, expanding access to training initiatives,
funding joint task forces, and funding law enforcement data
collection and research activities related to auto thefts;''.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act:
(1) Local law enforcement agency.--The term ``local law
enforcement agency'' means any entity administered by a
locality that exists primarily to prevent and detect crime and
enforce criminal laws.
(2) Locality.--The term ``locality'' means any city,
county, township, town, borough, parish, village, or other
general purpose political subdivision of a State.
(3) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the
United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(4) State law enforcement agency.--The term ``State law
enforcement agency'' means any State entity that exists
primarily to prevent and detect crime and enforce criminal
laws.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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