Auto Theft Prevention Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 847 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 847

   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

                            February 6, 2023

 Ms. Sherrill (for herself, Mr. Bacon, Ms. Craig, 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 
proportional to the overall level of auto thefts within each State in 
the year prior to the date of the disbursement of the grant.
    (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 the Program available as competitive subgrants to local 
        law enforcement agencies to combat auto theft, with the amount 
        awarded determined by prioritizing localities with a higher 
        overall level of auto thefts in the year prior to the date of 
        the disbursement of the grant.
            (2) State law enforcement agencies.--The Attorney General 
        of a State shall make at least 25 percent of a grant awarded 
        under the Program available 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 the Program not 
        allocated under paragraph (1) or (2) available as competitive 
        subgrants to local law enforcement agencies or to State law 
        enforcement agencies. Any subgrant made under this paragraph to 
        a local law enforcement agency shall follow the prioritization 
        under paragraph (1).
    (d) Eligible Activities.--Amounts from a grant awarded under the 
Program 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, and funding 
        costs associated with that equipment, such as subscription fees 
        and data storage fees for 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;
            (6) funding law enforcement data collection, data storage, 
        and research activities related to combating auto theft; and
            (7) funding for the administrative costs of applying for 
        and implementing the grant, up to a maximum of 5 percent of the 
        grant amount.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028 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 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.

    In 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.
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