Recruit and Retain Act
This bill expands the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program to support recruitment efforts by law enforcement agencies.
Specifically, the bill expands the COPS program by
The bill requires DOJ to establish guidance for understaffed law enforcement agencies applying for COPS grants.
The Government Accountability Office must study and report on the effects of recruitment and attrition rates on federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3325 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3325
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to
authorize law enforcement agencies to use COPS grants for recruitment
activities, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 15, 2023
Mr. Hunt (for himself and Mr. Ivey) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to
authorize law enforcement agencies to use COPS grants for recruitment
activities, 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 ``Recruit and Retain Act''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVING COPS GRANTS FOR POLICE HIRING PURPOSES.
(a) Grant Use Expansion.--Section 1701(b) of title I of the Omnibus
Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(b)) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through (23) as
paragraphs (6) through (24), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
``(5) to support hiring activities by law enforcement
agencies experiencing declines in officer recruitment
applications by reducing application-related fees, such as fees
for background checks, psychological evaluations, and
testing.''.
(b) Technical Amendment.--Section 1701(b)(23) of title I of the
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C.
10381(b)(23)) is amended by striking ``(21)'' and inserting ``(22)''.
SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.
Section 1701 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (i) through (n) as
subsections (j) through (o), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (h) the following:
``(i) Administrative Costs.--Not more than 2 percent of a grant
made for the hiring or rehiring of additional career law enforcement
officers may be used for costs incurred to administer such grant.''.
SEC. 4. PIPELINE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.
Section 1701 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amended by inserting after
subsection (o) the following:
``(p) COPS Pipeline Partnership Program.--
``(1) Eligible entity defined.--In this subsection, the
term `eligible entity' means a law enforcement agency in
partnership with not less than 1 educational institution, which
may include 1 or any combination of the following:
``(A) An elementary school.
``(B) A secondary school.
``(C) An institution of higher education.
``(D) A Hispanic-serving institution.
``(E) A historically Black college or university.
``(F) A Tribal college.
``(2) Grants.--The Attorney General shall award competitive
grants to eligible entities for recruiting activities that--
``(A) support substantial student engagement for
the exploration of potential future career
opportunities in law enforcement;
``(B) strengthen recruitment by law enforcement
agencies experiencing a decline in recruits, or high
rates of resignations or retirements;
``(C) enhance community interactions between local
youth and law enforcement agencies that are designed to
increase recruiting; and
``(D) otherwise improve the outcomes of local law
enforcement recruitment through activities such as
dedicated programming for students, work-based learning
opportunities, project-based learning, mentoring,
community liaisons, career or job fairs, work site
visits, job shadowing, apprenticeships, or skills-based
internships.
``(3) Funding.--Of the amounts made available to carry out
this part for a fiscal year, the Attorney General may use not
more than $3,000,000 to carry out this subsection.''.
SEC. 5. COPS GRANT GUIDANCE FOR AGENCIES OPERATING BELOW BUDGETED
STRENGTH.
Section 1704 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10384) is amended by adding at the end
the following:
``(d) Guidance for Understaffed Law Enforcement Agencies.--
``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Covered applicant.--The term `covered
applicant' means an applicant for a hiring grant under
this part seeking funding for a law enforcement agency
operating below the budgeted strength of the law
enforcement agency.
``(B) Budgeted strength.--The term `budgeted
strength' means the employment of the maximum number of
sworn law enforcement officers the budget of a law
enforcement agency allows the agency to employ.
``(2) Procedures.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish
consistent procedures for covered applicants, including
guidance that--
``(A) clarifies that covered applicants remain
eligible for funding under this part; and
``(B) enables covered applicants to attest that the
funding from a grant awarded under this part is not
being used by the law enforcement agency to supplant
State or local funds, as described in subsection (a).
``(3) Paperwork reduction.--In developing the procedures
and guidance under paragraph (2), the Attorney General shall
take measures to reduce paperwork requirements for grants to
covered applicants.''.
SEC. 6. STUDY ON POLICE RECRUITMENT.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall conduct a study to consider the comprehensive
effects of recruitment and attrition rates on Federal, State,
Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies in the United
States, to identify--
(A) the primary reasons that law enforcement
officers--
(i) join law enforcement agencies; and
(ii) resign or retire from law enforcement
agencies;
(B) how the reasons described in subparagraph (A)
may have changed over time;
(C) the effects of recruitment and attrition on
public safety;
(D) the effects of electronic media on recruitment
efforts;
(E) barriers to the recruitment and retention of
Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers; and
(F) recommendations for potential ways to address
barriers to the recruitment and retention of law
enforcement officers, including the barriers identified
in subparagraph (E).
(2) Representative cross-section.--
(A) In general.--The Comptroller General of the
United States shall endeavor to ensure accurate
representation of law enforcement agencies in the study
conducted pursuant to paragraph (1) by surveying a
broad cross-section of law enforcement agencies--
(i) from various regions of the United
States;
(ii) of different sizes; and
(iii) from rural, suburban, and urban
jurisdictions.
(B) Methods description.--The study conducted
pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include in the report
under subsection (b) a description of the methods used
to identify a representative sample of law enforcement
agencies.
(b) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall--
(1) submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate
and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives a report containing the study conducted under
subsection (a); and
(2) make the report submitted under paragraph (1) publicly
available online.
(c) Confidentiality.--The Comptroller General of the United States
shall ensure that the study conducted under subsection (a) protects the
privacy of participating law enforcement agencies.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 118-481.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 118-481.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 399.
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