[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2994 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2994

   To establish an office of family support within the Department of 
     Justice and to make grants to State and local law enforcement 
  departments, and to organizations representing State and local law 
                         enforcement personnel.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 6, 1993

Mrs. Schroeder introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish an office of family support within the Department of 
     Justice and to make grants to State and local law enforcement 
  departments, and to organizations representing State and local law 
                         enforcement personnel.

    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 ``Law Enforcement Family Support Act 
of 1993''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF FAMILY SUPPORT.

    There is established an Office of Family Support within the 
Department of Justice under the authority of the Attorney General.

SEC. 3. APPOINTMENT AND DUTIES OF DIRECTOR.

    (a) Appointment.--The Office of Family Support shall be headed by a 
Director appointed by the President, by and with the consent of the 
Senate. The Director shall report to the Attorney General.
    (b) Authority.--The Director shall have final authority for all 
grants awarded by the Office.
    (c) Restriction.--The Director shall not engage in any employment 
other than that as serving as Director; nor shall the Director hold any 
office in, or act in any capacity for, any organization, agency, or 
institution with which the Office makes any grant or other arrangement 
under this Act.
    (d) Duties.--The Director shall--
            (1) establish guidelines and oversee the implementation of 
        family-friendly policies within law enforcement-related offices 
        and divisions in the Department of Justice;
            (2) study the effects of stress on law enforcement 
        personnel and family well-being and disseminate the findings of 
        such studies to Federal, State, and local law enforcement 
        agencies, related organizations, and other interested parties;
            (3) identify and evaluate model programs that provide 
        support services to law enforcement personnel and families;
            (4) provide technical assistance and training programs to 
        develop stress reduction and family support to State and local 
        law enforcement agencies;
            (5) collect and disseminate information regarding family 
        support, stress reduction, and psychological services to 
        Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies, law 
        enforcement-related organizations, and other interested 
        entities; and
            (6) determine issues to be researched by the Office and by 
        grant recipients.

SEC. 4. GENERAL AUTHORIZATION.

    The Director is authorized to make grants to States and local law 
enforcement agencies and to organizations representing state and local 
law enforcement personnel to provide family support services to law 
enforcement personnel.

SEC. 5. USES OF FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--A State or local law enforcement agency or 
organization that receives a grant under this Act shall use amounts 
provided under the grant to establish or improve training and support 
programs for law enforcement personnel.
    (b) Required Activities.--A law enforcement agency or organization 
that receives funds under this Act shall provide at least one of the 
following services:
            (1) Counseling for law enforcement family members.
            (2) Child care on a 24-hour basis.
            (3) Marital and adolescent support groups.
            (4) Stress reduction programs.
            (5) Stress education for law enforcement recruits and 
        families.
            (6) Provide technical assistance and training programs to 
        support any or all of the services listed in (1) through (5).
    (c) Optional Activities.--A law enforcement agency that receives 
funds under this Act may provide the following services:
            (1) Post-shooting debriefing for officers and their 
        spouses.
            (2) Group therapy.
            (3) Hypertension clinics.
            (4) Critical incident response on a 24-hour basis.
            (5) Law enforcement family crisis telephone services on a 
        24-hour basis.
            (6) Counseling for law enforcement personnel exposed to the 
        human immunodeficiency virus.
            (7) Counseling for peers.
            (8) Counseling for families of personnel killed in the line 
        of duty.
            (9) Seminars regarding alcohol, drug use, gambling, and 
        overeating.
            (10) Technical assistance and training to support any or 
        all of the services in (1) through (9).

SEC. 6. APPLICATIONS.

    A law enforcement agency or organization desiring to receive a 
grant under this Act shall submit to the Director an application at 
such time, in such manner, and containing or accompanied by such 
information as the Director may reasonably require. Such application 
shall--
            (1) certify that the law enforcement agency shall match all 
        Federal funds with an equal amount of cash or in-kind goods or 
        services from other non-Federal sources;
            (2) include a statement from the highest ranking law 
        enforcement official from the State or locality or from the 
        highest ranking official from the organization applying for the 
        grant that attests to the need and intended use of services to 
        be provided with grant funds; and
            (3) assure that the Director or the Comptroller General of 
        the United States shall have access to all records related to 
        the receipt and use of grant funds received under this Act.

SEC. 7. AWARD OF GRANTS; LIMITATION.

    (a) Grant Distribution.--In approving grants under this Act, the 
Director shall assure an equitable distribution of assistance among the 
States, among urban and rural areas of the United States, and among 
urban and rural areas of a State.
    (b) Duration.--The Director may award a grant each fiscal year, not 
to exceed $100,000 to a State or local law enforcement agency or 
$250,000 to a law enforcement organization for a period not to exceed 5 
years. In any application from a State or local law enforcement agency 
or organization for a grant to continue a program for the second, 
third, fourth, or fifth fiscal year following the first fiscal year in 
which a grant was awarded to such agency, the Director shall review the 
progress made toward meeting the objectives of the program. The 
Director may refuse to award a grant if the Director finds sufficient 
progress has not been made toward meeting such objectives, but only 
after affording the applicant notice and an opportunity for 
reconsideration.
    (c) Limitation.--Not more than 10 percent of grant funds received 
by a State or a local law enforcement agency may be used for 
administrative purposes.

SEC. 8. DISCRETIONARY RESEARCH GRANTS.

    The Director may reserve 10 percent of funds to award research 
grants to a State or local law enforcement agency or organization to 
study issues of importance in the law enforcement field as determined 
by the Director.

SEC. 9. REPORTS.

    (a) Report From Grant Recipients.--A State or local law enforcement 
agency or organization that receives a grant under this Act shall 
submit to the Director an annual report that includes--
            (1) program descriptions;
            (2) the number of staff employed to administer programs;
            (3) the number of individuals who participated in programs; 
        and
            (4) an evaluation of the effectiveness of grant programs.
    (b) Report From Director.--(1) The Director shall submit to the 
President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the 
President pro tempore of the Senate a report not later than March 31 of 
each fiscal year.
    (2) Such report shall contain--
            (A) a description of the types of projects developed or 
        improved through funds received under this Act;
            (B) a description of exemplary projects and activities 
        developed;
            (C) a designation of the family relationship to the law 
        enforcement personnel of individuals served; and
            (D) the number of individuals served in each location and 
        throughout the country.

SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act--
            (1) the term ``Director'' means the Director of the Office 
        of Family Support within the Department of Justice;
            (2) the term ``family-friendly policy'' means a policy to 
        promote or improve the morale and well being of law enforcement 
        personnel;
            (3) the term ``law enforcement personnel'' means 
        individuals employed by Federal, State, and local law 
        enforcement agencies; and
            (4) the term ``Office'' means the Office of Family Support 
        within the Department of Justice.

SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; LIMITATION.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 
for each of the fiscal years 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998.
    (b) Limitation.--Not more than 20 percent of the amounts available 
under this Act may be used to accomplish the duties of the Director 
under section 2(d) and to operate the Office, including administrative 
costs, research, and training programs.

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