[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6375 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6375
To permit COPS grants to be used for the purpose of increasing the
compensation and hiring of law enforcement officers, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 12, 2022
Mr. Rice of South Carolina (for himself, Ms. Spanberger, Ms. Herrera
Beutler, Mr. Golden, Mr. Chabot, Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Mr. Owens, Mr.
Kind, Mr. Katko, Mr. Cuellar, and Mrs. Kim of California) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To permit COPS grants to be used for the purpose of increasing the
compensation and hiring of 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 ``COPS on the Beat Grant Program
Reauthorization and Parity Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) The President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing
highlighted the importance of hiring law enforcement officers
who reflect the diversity and values of the community, and who
have both the mindset and the skills needed to engage with the
community.
(2) Diverse workforces can be more effective, creative, and
resilient than homogenous workforces, and teams with broader
perspectives result in better decision-making and problem-
solving practices. Recruiting a diverse pool of candidates
includes qualified individuals from different races, genders,
ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds.
(3) Effective law enforcement recruitment practices can
help engender trust, develop good relations with their
communities, and ensure that the officers they hire can best
serve those communities. Recruitment efforts should start in
the community, and law enforcement agencies should consider
developing youth programs to attract younger generations. This
could include Explorer programs, internships through local
schools, cadet academies, university partnerships, and youth
mentorship programs that foster relationships between young
adults and departments. Not only do these programs develop
enthusiasm for a law enforcement career, they can also build
relationships between law enforcement agencies and the
communities they serve.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the COPS
Office is uniquely suited to empower local law enforcement agencies to
fulfill recommendations related to law enforcement hiring practices,
including agencies being reflective of the communities they serve, both
demographically and in values and vision, and possessing the mindset
and skills needed to engage with the community.
SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF COPS ON THE BEAT GRANT PROGRAMS.
(a) Reauthorization of COPS on the Beat Grant Program.--Section
1001(a)(11)(A) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets
Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10261(a)(11)(A)) is amended by striking ``for
each of fiscal years 2006 through 2009'' and inserting ``for each of
fiscal years 2022 through 2031''.
SEC. 4. RURAL COMMUNITY ACCESS TO COPS GRANTS.
(a) Uses of Grant Amounts.--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 (3) through (23) as
paragraphs (4) through (24), respectively;
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) in the case of any State or unit of local government
that has a median household income of less than 70 percent of
the national median household income and qualifies for a
reduced contribution under subsection (g)(2), to increase wages
of career law enforcement officers to not more than 80 percent
of the national median household income;''; and
(3) in paragraph (23), as redesignated, by striking
``through (21)'' and inserting ``through (22)''.
(b) Preferential Consideration.--Section 1701(c) of title I of the
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(c))
is amended--
(1) by striking paragraph (1); and
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs
(1) and (2), respectively.
(c) Cost Share.--Section 1701(g) of title I of the Omnibus Crime
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(g)) is amended to
read as follows:
``(g) Matching Funds.--
``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the
portion of the costs of a program, project, or activity
provided by a grant under subsection (a) may not exceed 75
percent, unless the Attorney General waives, wholly or in part,
the requirement under this subsection of a non-Federal
contribution to the costs of a program, project, or activity.
In relation to a grant for a period exceeding 1 year for hiring
or rehiring or increasing the compensation of career law
enforcement officers, the Federal share shall decrease from
year to year for up to 5 years, looking toward the continuation
of the increased hiring and compensation level using State or
local sources of funding following the conclusion of Federal
support, as provided in an approved plan pursuant to section
1702(c)(8).
``(2) Reduced non-federal contribution.--
``(A) In general.--The portion of the costs of a
program, project, or activity provided by a grant under
subsection (a), in any State or unit of local
government described in subparagraph (B), may not
exceed--
``(i) 90 percent for the first year of the
grant;
``(ii) 85 percent for the second year of
the grant;
``(iii) 80 percent for the third year of
the grant; and
``(iv) 75 percent for the fourth year of
the grant.
``(B) State or unit of local government
described.--A State or unit of local government
described in this subparagraph is any State or unit of
local government--
``(i) with a median household income that
is not more than 80 percent of the national
median household income;
``(ii) that does not provide a single
employee with compensation that is more than
double the national median household income;
and
``(iii) that is a rural State, rural
community, or rural area as such terms are
defined in section 40002(a) of the Violent
Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994
(34 U.S.C. 12291(a)(26)(A)) is amended.''.
(d) Limitation on Hiring and Rehiring.--Section 1704(c) of title I
of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C.
10384(c)) is amended to read as follows:
``(c) Hiring and Compensation Cost.--
``(1) In general.--Funding provided under this part for
hiring or rehiring a career law enforcement officer may not
exceed $75,000, unless the Attorney General grants a waiver
from this limitation.
``(2) Reduced contribution.--In the case of a jurisdiction
that qualifies for a reduced contribution under section
1701(g)(2), a career law enforcement officer who is hired or
rehired or whose compensation is increased under this part may
not receive from any funding provided under this part
compensation exceeding 80 percent of the national median
household income for work performed as an on-duty law
enforcement officer.''.
(e) Allocation of COPS Grant Program Funds.--Section 1001(a)(11)(B)
of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968
(34 U.S.C. 10261(a)(11)(B)) is amended by inserting after the second
sentence the following: ``If funds remain available for obligation
under this subparagraph in a fiscal year after all eligible and
qualified grantees have been funded from the 50 percent of funding
allocated for grants pursuant to applications submitted by units of
local government or law enforcement agencies having jurisdiction over
areas with populations exceeding 150,000 or by public and private
entities that serve areas with populations exceeding 150,000, the
remaining funds may be used for grants pursuant to applications
submitted by units of local government or law enforcement agencies
having jurisdiction over areas with populations 150,000 or less or by
public and private entities that serve areas with populations 150,000
or less.''.
(f) Definitions.--Section 1709 of title I of the Omnibus Crime
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10389) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(8) `Attorney General' means the Attorney General, acting
through the COPS Director.''.
SEC. 5. COPS OFFICE.
(a) COPS Program.--Section 1701(a) of title I of the Omnibus Crime
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(a)) is amended to
read as follows:
``(a) The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.--
``(1) In general.--There is within the Department of
Justice, under the general authority of the Attorney General, a
separate and distinct office to be known as the Office of
Community Oriented Policing Services (referred to in this
subsection as the `COPS Office').
``(2) Director.--The COPS Office shall be headed by a
Director who shall--
``(A) be appointed by the Attorney General; and
``(B) have final authority over grants under this
part and any other grants, cooperative agreements, and
contracts awarded by the COPS Office.''.
SEC. 6. GAO REPORT.
In fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2031, the Comptroller General
of the United States, after consultation with the Attorney General,
shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a report that
provides national averages and averages for department characteristic
subgroups including at least size of police and sheriff departments and
urban or rural designations by jurisdiction detailing--
(1) a measure of how representative the existing workforce
of the average police and sheriff departments is to the
community served based on demographics which include at least
gender and race;
(2) the percentage of those employed by the average police
and sheriff departments that live in the jurisdiction in which
they are currently employed;
(3) a measure of average officer pay in police and sheriff
departments compared to cost of living in the jurisdiction in
which they are currently employed; and
(4) legislative and administrative recommendations for
improving the percentage of officers that live in the
jurisdiction in which they are employed and how representative
the law enforcement agency is of the community it serves.
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