[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4699 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4699

   To establish within the Department of Health and Human Services a 
         Division on Community Safety, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 18, 2023

   Ms. Bush (for herself, Ms. Jayapal, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
 McGarvey, Ms. Pressley, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Clarke of New 
York, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. 
 Smith of Washington, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Vargas, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. 
 Williams of Georgia, Ms. Bonamici, and Ms. Kamlager-Dove) introduced 
    the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 
 Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, 
 Transportation and Infrastructure, Financial Services, and Education 
 and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish within the Department of Health and Human Services a 
         Division on Community Safety, 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; PURPOSES.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``The People's 
Response Act''.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to--
            (1) catalyze, coordinate, and disseminate research on 
        approaches to community safety that reduce criminal legal 
        contact while expanding opportunity, including a particular 
        focus on groups that have been disproportionately harmed by the 
        criminal legal system;
            (2) support State governments, local governments, and 
        community-based organizations in implementing qualified 
        approaches to community safety;
            (3) mobilize and coordinate Federal resources to advance 
        qualified approaches to community safety;
            (4) expand resources to holistically support survivors of 
        mass incarceration, police violence, rape and other forms of 
        sexual assault, harm resulting from detention or deportation, 
        and other forms of violence and abuse; and
            (5) expand resources to holistically support marginalized 
        communities, particularly Black and Indigenous communities, to 
        implement qualified approaches to community safety.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Community health worker.--The term ``community health 
        worker'' means a frontline public health worker who--
                    (A) is a trusted member of, or has a close 
                understanding of, the community served, enabling the 
                worker to serve as a link between health and social 
                services and the community, so as to facilitate access 
                to services and improve the quality and cultural 
                competence of service delivery; and
                    (B) builds individual and community capacity by 
                increasing health knowledge and self-sufficiency 
                through a range of activities such as outreach, 
                community education, informal counseling, social 
                support, and advocacy.
            (2) Community land trust.--The term ``community land 
        trust'' means a community-based organization that is designed 
        to ensure community stewardship of land and--
                    (A) is not sponsored by a for-profit organization;
                    (B) has a membership open to any adult who resides 
                in the particular geographic area in which the 
                organization operates; and
                    (C) provides low-cost land and housing while 
                maintaining community control over neighborhood 
                resources, including by acquiring land that will be 
                held in perpetuity so as to provide permanently 
                affordable homeownership to those who might not 
                otherwise be able to afford a home.
            (3) First responder.--The term ``first responder'' means an 
        individual with relevant experience who responds to crises in a 
        way that meets the definition of qualified approaches to 
        community safety.
            (4) Qualified approach to community safety.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``qualified approach to 
                community safety'' means, with respect to a program or 
                service, that the program or service is established or 
                provided in a manner that is disconnected from carceral 
                institutions, including law enforcement, criminal 
                courts, prosecution, probation, child welfare services, 
                or immigration enforcement.
                    (B) Disconnected from carceral institutions.-- For 
                purposes of subparagraph (A), the term ``disconnected 
                from carceral institutions'' means having no 
                relationship with respect to administration, staffing, 
                or funding, or otherwise cooperating with, 
                collaborating with, or reporting to, any carceral 
                institution in any situation, except where the program 
                or service involved is bound to engage in such 
                cooperation or reporting by existing Federal, State, or 
                local law.
            (5) Participatory budgeting.--The term ``participatory 
        budgeting'' means a democratic engagement process in which 
        community members deliberate and decide directly how to 
        allocate a portion of a public budget.
            (6) Safety needs assessment.--The term ``safety needs 
        assessment'' means a systematic, participatory process for 
        identifying the safety needs in the local community. Such 
        process shall include--
                    (A) soliciting input from persons who represent the 
                broad interests of the local community, including those 
                who have been directly impacted by arrest, 
                incarceration, criminal supervision, immigration 
                detention, or other criminal legal system involvement;
                    (B) identifying the structural, systemic factors 
                that may lead community members to feel unsafe or may 
                increase the risk that community members may become 
                involved with the criminal legal system;
                    (C) identifying existing resources that are 
                potentially available to address those safety needs as 
                well as any other gaps in necessary resources; and
                    (D) providing opportunities that allow people 
                meaningful opportunities to review, comment on, and 
                provide suggested modifications to the draft 
                assessment, such as through public hearings, online 
                publication, and a comment period that allows 
                sufficient time for community feedback.
            (7) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the 
        United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
        Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the 
        Northern Mariana Islands.
            (8) Unit of local government.--The term ``unit of local 
        government'' means any city, county, township, town, borough, 
        parish, village, or other general purpose political subdivision 
        of a State.

                 TITLE I--DIVISION ON COMMUNITY SAFETY

SEC. 101. DIVISION ON COMMUNITY SAFETY.

    (a) In General.--There is established within the Department of 
Health and Human Services a Division on Community Safety (referred to 
in this Act as the ``Division''). The Division shall be headed by an 
Assistant Secretary for Community Safety (referred to in this Act as 
the ``Assistant Secretary'') who shall be designated by and report 
directly to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
    (b) Responsibilities.--The Division shall have responsibility for 
overseeing activities that promote qualified approaches to community 
safety, including--
            (1) coordinating and carrying out other oversight 
        activities with respect to the grant programs established under 
        title II;
            (2) funding, conducting, coordinating, and publicly 
        disseminating the findings of, research into policies, 
        programs, infrastructure, and other investments that serve to 
        increase qualified approaches to community safety, including 
        through interdisciplinary collaborations involving scholars, 
        nonprofits, and other nongovernmental actors;
            (3) providing and funding technical assistance to State and 
        local governments to implement qualified approaches to 
        community safety;
            (4) establishing--
                    (A) the Community Advisory Board under section 102;
                    (B) the Federal Health Response Unit under section 
                103;
                    (C) the Interagency Task Force under section 104;
                    (D) the Community Safety Grant for community-led 
                organizations under section 201;
                    (E) the Community Safety Grant for Local 
                Governments under section 202;
                    (F) the Community Safety Grant for States under 
                section 203; and
                    (G) the First Responder Hiring Grants under section 
                204;
            (5) coordinating, streamlining, and implementing qualified 
        approaches to community safety in collaboration with the 
        Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and 
        Families, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 
        Administration, Director of the Indian Health Service, the 
        Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substances Use, and 
        other relevant agencies within the Department of Health and 
        Human Services;
            (6) supporting and helping to coordinate interagency 
        initiatives that advance, streamline, and otherwise implement 
        qualified approaches to community safety;
            (7) administering grant programs that support State 
        governments, local governments, and community-based 
        organizations in implementing qualified approaches to 
        increasing community safety;
            (8) providing to the public updates, findings, and 
        recommendations on qualified approaches to community safety 
        collected from the reports made by recipients of grants under 
        title II; and
            (9) establishing and maintaining a complaint system 
        responsible for the resolution of complaints from members of 
        the general public regarding grant funding for programs not 
        compliant with the qualified approaches to community safety 
        standard.

SEC. 102. COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD.

    (a) In General.--The Division shall establish an advisory board to 
oversee the activities of the Division established under section 101 
and grant programs under title II, to be known as the Community 
Advisory Board (referred to in this Act as the ``Advisory Board'').
    (b) Composition.--
            (1) In general.--The Advisory Board shall be composed of 
        individuals, to be selected by the Secretary. Such members 
        shall reflect the racial, religious, ethnic, gender, sexual 
        orientation, disability status, immigration status, and other 
        diversities of the United States, including representation for 
        Black people, Asian-American people, Latinx people, Indigenous 
        people, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, 
        women, youth, disabled people, undocumented and formerly 
        undocumented immigrants, and other groups that have been 
        disproportionately disadvantaged by the criminal legal system.
            (2) Representation.--The Assistant Secretary shall ensure 
        that a certain number of individuals selected to serve as 
        members of the Advisory Board--
                    (A) have personal experience with the criminal 
                legal system, including--
                            (i) individuals who have been detained or 
                        incarcerated;
                            (ii) individuals who are currently on 
                        community supervision (such as probation or 
                        parole) or who have been on community 
                        supervision;
                            (iii) individuals who have been arrested or 
                        cited by law enforcement;
                            (iv) individuals who have been directly 
                        impacted by police violence or other forms of 
                        violence, including domestic violence, sexual 
                        assault, rape, and other forms of sexual or 
                        intimate partner violence; and
                            (v) immediate family members of individuals 
                        who have been directly impacted by police 
                        violence; and
                    (B) are advocates or grassroots practitioners 
                working to advance educational equity, health equity, 
                housing equity, environmental justice, racial justice, 
                gender justice, disability justice, or Indigenous 
                justice.
            (3) Pay.--Members of the Advisory Board shall serve at a 
        rate of pay to be determined by the Secretary.
            (4) Responsibilities.--The duties of the Advisory Board are 
        as follows:
                    (A) Approving annual priorities and funding for 
                research and technical assistance and evaluating, on an 
                annual basis, research conducted or supported by the 
                Division and technical assistance provided by the 
                Division.
                    (B) Based on the evaluations conducted under 
                paragraph (5), producing, and submitting to the 
                Administrator, annual recommendations on the following:
                            (i) Whether activities conducted by the 
                        Division adequately reflect the specific needs 
                        and interests of all individuals, including 
                        Black individuals, Asian-American individuals, 
                        Latinx individuals, Indigenous individuals, 
                        lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender 
                        individuals, disabled individuals, and other 
                        individuals who are members of communities that 
                        have been disproportionately impacted by the 
                        immigration and criminal legal system.
                            (ii) Whether funding made available to the 
                        Division is sufficiently flowing to 
                        organizations that are led by individuals 
                        referred to in clause (i).
                            (iii) Changes that the Division could make 
                        to address any issues uncovered during such 
                        evaluations, including ways to ensure that 
                        grants awarded under this title are serving to 
                        enhance racial equity and benefit community-
                        based organizations that have diverse 
                        leadership and composition.
            (5) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the date on which 
        the Division receives the recommendations under paragraph 
        (4)(B), the Division shall submit a report to Congress, which 
        details--
                    (A) steps the Division has taken or will take to 
                implement the Advisory Board's recommendations; or
                    (B) for any recommendations not implemented or 
                planned to be implemented, an explanation as to why 
                such recommendation was infeasible or conflicted with 
                the Division's statutory obligations.

SEC. 103. FEDERAL HEALTH RESPONSE UNIT.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
establish a Federal health response unit, to be known as the ``Federal 
Health Response Unit'', which shall--
            (1) respond, through a response unit trained in accordance 
        with training developed under paragraph (2), to any public 
        health emergency--
                    (A) declared by the Secretary of Health and Human 
                Services under section 319 of the Public Health Service 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 247d); or
                    (B) with respect to which the head of a State 
                public health agency makes a request to the Secretary 
                for assistance;
            (2) develop, provide for the training of, and hire, not 
        fewer than 5,000 personnel to respond to such an emergency;
            (3) develop, and provide to States and units of local 
        government, guidelines for implementing qualified approaches to 
        community safety;
            (4) develop and implement a plan to minimize barriers to 
        community health worker program participation, such as by 
        providing guidance and ensuring the availability of local 
        sources of community health worker-led technical assistance on 
        requirements for participation, including plans to prioritize 
        and build the capacity of community-based organizations and 
        community health worker-led organizations and associations 
        within the State or region as eligible and preferred providers 
        of community health worker technical assistance;
            (5) support local educational agencies as defined in 
        section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
        1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) with resources, personnel and services 
        that create truly safe and inclusive schools;
            (6) provide States and units of local government with 
        community health workers, including individuals who are trained 
        in first response or violence prevention, or both, and other 
        personnel to improve access to health services and address the 
        public health emergency described in paragraph (1) within their 
        respective jurisdiction; and
            (7) coordinate with the commissioned Regular Corps and 
        Ready Reserve Corps under section 203 of the Public Health 
        Service Act (42 U.S.C. 204), the Medical Reserve Corps under 
        section 2813 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-
        15), and State-level agencies and crisis response teams.
    (b) Conditions.--The Secretary shall ensure that each individual 
hired pursuant to this section shall be paid a wage, which shall at 
least be the highest of the following:
            (1) $17 an hour.
            (2) The minimum wage under the applicable State or local 
        minimum wage law.
            (3) The prevailing rates of pay for individuals employed in 
        similar occupations by the same employer.
            (4) The Federal minimum wage in effect under section 
        6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 
        206(a)(1)).

SEC. 104. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall establish an interagency task force (referred to in this Act as 
the ``Task Force'') to coordinate and promote holistic, qualified 
approaches to community safety.
    (b) Members.--The Task Force shall be composed of the following 
members:
            (1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services, or the 
        designee of the Secretary.
            (2) The Attorney General, or the designee of the Attorney 
        General.
            (3) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, or the 
        designee of the Secretary.
            (4) The Secretary of Education, or the designee of the 
        Secretary.
            (5) The Secretary of Labor, or the designee of the 
        Secretary.
            (6) The Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
        Agency, or the designee of the Administrator.
            (7) Other agencies, as determined necessary by the 
        Secretary of Health and Human Services.
    (c) Duties.--The Task Force shall:
            (1) Conduct a comprehensive audit of all funds allocated 
        and programs supported by the Department of Justice and other 
        Federal agencies that fund law enforcement, jails, prisons, and 
        other detention facilities, and other coercive or carceral 
        approaches to public safety.
            (2) Conduct a comprehensive audit that assesses all Federal 
        funds allocated to, as well as Federal programs supporting, 
        initiatives that are intended to enhance qualified approaches 
        to community safety, disaggregated by jurisdiction.
            (3) Facilitate ongoing efforts to streamline the 
        application, monitoring, and reporting processes to make 
        Federal funds provided pursuant to any grant made under this 
        Act maximally accessible to small, grassroots organizations 
        that work to develop, implement, or evaluate qualified 
        approaches to community safety.
    (d) Meetings.--For the purpose of carrying out this section, the 
Task Force may hold such meetings, and sit and act at such times and 
places, as the Task Force considers appropriate.
    (e) Information.--The Task Force may secure directly from any 
Federal agency such information as may be necessary to enable the Task 
Force to carry out this section. Upon request of the Chairperson of the 
Task Force, the head of such agency shall furnish such information to 
the Task Force.
    (f) Agency Reports.--For the purposes of enabling the Task Force to 
carry out the audits required under subsection (c), not less than once 
every six months--
            (1) the Secretary of Education shall submit to the 
        Assistant Secretary a report that contains with respect to each 
        recipient of a grant awarded by the Secretary a profile of such 
        recipient and in the case of any such recipient that is a State 
        or unit of local government--
                    (A) the needs of school health providers in the 
                relevant jurisdiction; and
                    (B) information on the applicable local school 
                population, including the largest barriers to the 
                safety of the school population (including when school 
                is not in session);
            (2) the Attorney General shall submit to the Assistant 
        Secretary a report that contains with respect to each recipient 
        of a grant awarded by the Secretary a profile of such recipient 
        and in the case of any such recipient that is a State or unit 
        of local government--
                    (A) the amount of grant funds awarded to the 
                jurisdiction under a grant administered by the Attorney 
                General;
                    (B) the recipients' progress in meeting the 
                purposes specified in section 1, including--
                            (i) the number of residents who are being 
                        incarcerated, criminally supervised, or 
                        otherwise confined in any coercive 
                        institutional structure and how these numbers 
                        have changed over time;
                            (ii) the amount and type of any fines, 
                        fees, or other financial obligations owed by 
                        residents to any component of the criminal 
                        legal system;
                            (iii) the amount and type of contact that 
                        residents have with the criminal legal system; 
                        and
                            (iv) racial disparities in arrest, 
                        incarceration, criminal supervision, school 
                        discipline, and other areas that people may 
                        contact the criminal legal system.
    (g) Report to Congress.--Not later than 60 days after the date on 
which the Task Force completes the audits described in subsection (c), 
the Task Force shall submit a report to Congress, which summarizes--
            (1) the contents of such audits; and
            (2) any recommendations, based on such audits, with respect 
        to additional investments or policy changes that would improve 
        the implementation of qualified community safety approaches and 
        maximize community safety outcomes in all jurisdictions served.

SEC. 105. NON-DISCRIMINATION.

    No person in the United States shall, on the basis of actual or 
perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including sexual 
orientation and gender identity), or disability, be excluded from 
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to 
discrimination under--
            (1) any program or activity funded, in whole or in part, 
        with funds made available under this title; or
            (2) any other program or activity funded, in whole or in 
        part, with funds appropriated for grants, cooperative 
        agreements, and other assistance administered by the Assistant 
        Secretary.

            TITLE II--GRANTS IN SUPPORT OF COMMUNITY SAFETY

SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY SAFETY GRANT FOR COMMUNITY-LED 
              ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) Grant Program Established.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services (in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary''), shall award 
grants, on a rolling basis, to community-based organizations that are 
designing, implementing, monitoring, or otherwise supporting qualified 
approaches to community safety, including as intermediaries making 
subgrants to other local organizations and community leaders who are 
leading qualified community safety programming.
    (b) Application.--A community-based organization seeking a grant 
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 
may require.
    (c) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to community-based organizations that--
            (1) serve, are located in, and directly employ people who 
        live in, communities that have been disproportionately impacted 
        by the immigration or criminal legal system, as evidenced by 
        high rates of individuals who have been cited, arrested, or 
        incarcerated in the year preceding the year for which the 
        application for such grant is submitted;
            (2) are led by, or employ, individuals who have been 
        directly impacted by the criminal legal system, including via 
        arrests, incarceration, witnessing or being victims of police 
        violence, or having a family member who was arrested, 
        incarcerated, or a victim of police violence;
            (3) are led by individuals who have proven ties to the 
        community in which the organization operates;
            (4) are located in, or primarily serve, Native American 
        communities on and off of reservations, including Urban Indian 
        (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement 
        Act (25 U.S.C. 1603)) communities; or
            (5) have a leadership that reflects the racial diversity of 
        the community in which the organization operates.
    (d) Use of Funds.--A community-based organization receiving funds 
under this section shall use such grant funds for any purpose that has 
demonstrable connection to improving community safety through the use 
of qualified approaches to community safety, including grant writing or 
funding that furthers one or more of the following purposes:
            (1) Crisis intervention, including unarmed first responder 
        agencies and 9-1-1 dispatchers for diverting calls to first 
        responders.
            (2) Programs that interrupt or prevent violence, including 
        violence and abuse interruption and prevention programs, 
        neighborhood mediation programs, and safe passage to school 
        programs.
            (3) Participatory investments into the built environment, 
        including park redevelopment, streetlights, and public 
        transportation.
            (4) Public health activities and voluntary health services, 
        including harm reduction-based treatment for mental health and 
        substance use, hiring of community health workers, long-term 
        supportive housing, lead abatement, pollution reduction, and 
        nutrition access, such as through establishing farmers markets, 
        nonprofit and employee-owned grocery stores, and school-based 
        nutrition programs.
            (5) Housing security programs and initiatives, including 
        outreach programs, permanent supportive housing, community land 
        trusts and housing for individuals experiencing temporary or 
        chronic homelessness.
            (6) Support for youth and families, including school-based 
        counselors, trauma-informed practices, youth and mentorship 
        programs, after school and enrichment programs, credible 
        messenger in schools programs, social-emotional learning 
        programs, wraparound services, and two-generational 
        programming.
            (7) Support for victims, including survivors of domestic 
        violence, sexual violence, and rape, and targeted services to 
        help victims, witnesses, and survivors process trauma, achieve 
        financial and housing independence, make individualized, needs-
        based safety plans, and otherwise access the help that they 
        need.
            (8) Reentry support for people who are exiting 
        incarceration or criminal supervision, including educational 
        and workforce programs, stipends, housing programs, and support 
        for worker coops.
            (9) Capacity building support to local advocates and 
        community-based organizations, including legal assistance, and 
        startup assistance for coops, community land trusts, and 
        nonprofit organizations.
    (e) Grant Amounts.--In determining the amount of a grant awarded to 
a single community-based organization under this section, the Secretary 
shall base such determination on--
            (1) the number of people who will be served by the program 
        or intervention;
            (2) the depth of need demonstrated, including attention to 
        specific activities planned, the socioeconomic characteristics 
        of the community served by the organization, and current 
        patterns of criminal legal involvement; and
            (3) such other factors as the Secretary determines are 
        relevant.
    (f) Limitation.--Funds made available under this section may be 
used only to carry out programs, services, or activities that use 
qualified approaches to community safety.
    (g) Reporting.--
            (1) In general.--Beginning not later than one year after 
        the date on which a community-based organization receives a 
        grant under this section, and annually thereafter, the 
        organization shall prepare and submit a report to the Secretary 
        and Assistant Secretary containing such information as the 
        Secretary may require, including--
                    (A) the use of grant funds;
                    (B) an estimation of the number of people served 
                through activities carried out using grant funds, 
                including demographic information disaggregated by 
                race, ethnicity, age, gender, disability status 
                sexuality, immigration status, ZIP Code, and 
                socioeconomic status (where such information is 
                reasonably available and voluntarily provided); and
                    (C) any relevant feedback received by such 
                organization from the populations served by such 
                organization regarding--
                            (i) the efficacy of support from sources 
                        other than programs and services provided by 
                        such organization using grant funds; and
                            (ii) additional resources and services 
                        needed by such populations with respect to 
                        improving community safety.
            (2) Privacy.--The report submitted to the Secretary and 
        Division of Community Safety pursuant to this section must 
        protect the privacy of the individuals served. All of the 
        information gathered as part of the reporting process shall be 
        aggregated, anonymized, and used only for the purposes listed 
        in this section and shall not be used to initiate or contribute 
        to any criminal, legal, immigration, or Child Protective 
        Services actions of proceedings, except where such reporting is 
        required by law.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $4,000,000,000 for the period of 
fiscal years 2024 through 2028.

SEC. 202. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY SAFETY GRANT FOR LOCAL 
              GOVERNMENTS.

    (a) Grant Program Established.--The Secretary shall award grants, 
on a rolling basis, to units of local government to assess safety 
needs, conduct research on, fund programming on, and otherwise support 
the development of qualified approaches to community safety.
    (b) Application.--A unit of local government seeking a grant under 
this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 
in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
require, including an assurance that the unit of local government shall 
develop, and submit to the Secretary, during the grant period, a safety 
needs assessment to guide local investments in qualified approaches to 
community safety.
    (c) Preference.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall give a preference to a unit of local government that--
            (1) has taken steps toward, or is submitting proposals 
        within the application for such a grant for purposes of--
                    (A) increasing human liberty, including through 
                measures that reduce incarceration, pretrial detention, 
                arrests, criminal supervision, immigration detention, 
                and other forms of criminal justice involvement;
                    (B) ending the criminalization of poverty, mental 
                illness, homelessness, substance use, and related 
                issues by addressing root causes of those issues rather 
                than imposing criminal punishment and other punitive 
                responses; or
                    (C) ending racial, economic, gender, and other 
                disparities in criminal punishment, including 
                discipline in schools;
            (2) has a high rate of poverty, as well as 
        disproportionately high shares of residents who have been 
        impacted by violence and the criminal legal system (as 
        determined by the Secretary); or
            (3) has prepared and developed the application submitted 
        under this section in consultation with the community the unit 
        of local government serves, especially individuals in such 
        community who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal 
        system.
    (d) Use of Funds.--A unit of local government receiving funds under 
this section shall use such grant funds to:
            (1) Establish or designate a community-led entity that--
                    (A) employs qualified approaches to community 
                safety; and
                    (B) can coordinate and make investments in 
                community safety, including by using participatory 
                budgeting or other community-led processes.
            (2) Develop a safety needs assessment and create an action 
        plan targeted to address such safety needs.
            (3) Invest in programs, interventions, or policy 
        initiatives that have a demonstrable connection to improving 
        community safety, including programs interventions, or policy 
        initiatives that are designed to address needs related to 
        economic stability, survivor safety, physical and behavioral 
        health, environmental safety, housing stability, and 
        educational equity and opportunity such as those listed in 
        section 201(d).
            (4) Train and hire community health workers, including 
        individuals who are trained in first response and violence 
        prevention, who can help to address such identified safety 
        needs.
            (5) Administer programming, including via grants to 
        community-based organizations and the direct deployment of 
        community health workers, to implement the action plan.
    (e) Grant Amounts.--In determining the amount of a grant awarded to 
a State or unit of local government under this section, the Secretary 
shall base such determination on--
            (1) the number of people who live in the jurisdiction of 
        the local government;
            (2) the depth of need demonstrated, including attention to 
        activities planned, the socioeconomic characteristics of the 
        community and residents within that jurisdiction, and current 
        patterns of spending in systems of incarceration; and
            (3) such other factors as the Secretary determines are 
        relevant.
    (f) Limitations.--
            (1) Funds made available under this section may be used 
        only to carry out programs, services, or activities that use 
        qualified approaches to community safety.
            (2) Each State or unit of local government receiving a 
        grant under this section shall certify to the Secretary that 
        any individual hired using funds received through such grant 
        will be paid a wage, which shall be at least the highest of the 
        following:
                    (A) $17 an hour.
                    (B) The minimum wage under the applicable State or 
                local minimum wage law.
                    (C) The prevailing rates of pay for individuals 
                employed in similar occupations by the same employer.
                    (D) The Federal minimum wage in effect under 
                section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
                (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)).
    (g) Reporting.--Beginning not later than one year after the date on 
which a local government receives a grant under this section, and 
annually thereafter, the unit of local government shall prepare and 
submit to the Secretary, and make publicly available, a report 
containing information about--
            (1) how the grant funds were used;
            (2) the number of people who were cited, arrested, or 
        jailed by any State or local law enforcement officers in the 
        previous year in the jurisdiction of the local government, as 
        compared to the number cited, arrest, or jailed during the term 
        of the grant;
            (3) the reasons for such citing, arresting, or detained or 
        imprisoned;
            (4) demographic data of individuals cited, arrested, or 
        jailed or referred by local law enforcement officers, 
        disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, gender, disability 
        status, and socioeconomic status; and
            (5) the percentage of grant funds that ultimately benefited 
        community-based organizations.
    (h) Supplement, Not Supplant.--An unit of local government 
receiving a grant under this section may use Federal funds received 
through the grant only to supplement the funds that would, without such 
Federal funds, be made available from State and local sources, and not 
to supplant such funds.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to implement this section $3,500,000,000 for the period of 
fiscal years 2024 through 2028.

SEC. 203. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY SAFETY GRANT FOR STATES.

    (a) Grant Program Established.--The Secretary shall award grants, 
on a rolling basis, to States to conduct research on, fund, and 
otherwise support the development of qualified approaches to community 
safety.
    (b) Application.--A State seeking a grant under this section shall 
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including 
an assurance that the State shall--
            (1) establish or designate a State agency, department, or 
        office equivalent to the Division on Community Safety 
        established under section 101, to oversee and support the use 
        of qualified approaches to community safety statewide; and
            (2) provide matching funds equal to the amount of Federal 
        funds received under the grant--
                    (A) to fund qualified approaches to community 
                safety; and
                    (B) to provide an ongoing framework for continued 
                funding of such qualified approaches.
    (c) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to a State that meets one or more of the same 
criteria specified in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of section 202(c).
    (d) Use of Funds.--A State receiving funds under this section shall 
use such grant funds to--
            (1) make grants to community-based organizations 
        implementing one or more qualified approaches to community 
        safety, including as intermediaries making subgrants to other 
        local organizations and community leaders who are leading 
        qualified community safety programming on these issues;
            (2) fund local governments to undertake the activities 
        described in section 202(d); or
            (3) fund education training for individuals who are taking 
        jobs that advance qualified approaches to community safety.
    (e) Grant Amounts.--In determining the amount of a grant awarded to 
a single recipient under this section, the Secretary shall base such 
determination on--
            (1) the number of people who live in the State;
            (2) the depth of need demonstrated, including attention to 
        activities planned, the socioeconomic characteristics of the 
        community, and current patterns of involvement in the criminal 
        legal system; and
            (3) such other factors as the Secretary determines are 
        relevant; and
    (f) Limitation.--Funds made available under this section may be 
used only to carry out programs, services, or activities that use 
qualified approaches to community safety.
    (g) Reporting.--Beginning not later than one year after the date on 
which a State receives a grant under this section, and annually 
thereafter, such State shall prepare and submit a report to the 
Secretary containing information about--
            (1) how the grant funds were used;
            (2) the number of people who were cited, arrested, or 
        jailed by State or local law enforcement officers in the 
        previous year, as compared to the number cited, arrest, or 
        jailed during the term of the grant;
            (3) the reasons for such citing, arresting, or jailing; and
            (4) demographic data of individuals cited, arrested, or 
        jailed or referred by State or local law enforcement officers, 
        disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, gender, disability 
        status, and socioeconomic status.
    (h) Supplement, Not Supplant.--A State shall use Federal funds 
received under this section only to supplement the funds that would, 
without such Federal funds, be made available from State and local 
sources, and not to supplant such funds.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to implement this section $3,500,000,000 for the period of 
fiscal years 2024 through 2028.

SEC. 204. FIRST RESPONDER HIRING GRANTS.

    (a) Grant Authorization.--The Secretary shall carry out a grant 
program under which the Secretary makes grants to community-based 
organizations, health departments, States, units of local government, 
Indian tribal governments, other public and private entities, and 
multi-jurisdictional or regional consortia for the purposes described 
under subsection (b).
    (b) Use of Grant Amounts.--A grant awarded under subsection (a) may 
be used to--
            (1) hire and train first responders;
            (2) procure equipment, technology, support systems, or pay 
        overtime, to increase the number of first responders available 
        to a community;
            (3) increase the number of first responders involved in 
        activities that are focused on interaction with members of the 
        community on crisis response and community violence and trauma 
        prevention;
            (4) provide education and training to first responders to 
        enhance their conflict resolution, mediation, problem solving, 
        service, and other skills needed to work in partnership with 
        members of the community, including by programs that 
        incentivize individuals to complete such education and 
        training;
            (5) develop and implement innovative programs that support 
        members of the community to work with community-based 
        organizations, emergency first responders, and State, Tribal, 
        and local officials in community violence and trauma prevention 
        efforts; and
            (6) establish school-based partnerships by employing and 
        retaining first responders in pre-Kindergarten, elementary, and 
        secondary schools to support trauma-informed care and 
        behavioral and mental health services, and to operate school-
        based health centers in local schools.
    (c) Limitation.--
            (1) Funds made available under this section may be used 
        only to carry out programs, services, or activities that use 
        qualified approaches to community safety.
            (2) Each entity that receives a grant under this section 
        shall certify to the Secretary that any individual hired using 
        funds received through such grant will be paid a wage, which 
        shall be at least the highest of the following:
                    (A) $17 an hour.
                    (B) The minimum wage under the applicable State or 
                local minimum wage law.
                    (C) The prevailing rates of pay for individuals 
                employed in similar occupations by the same employer.
                    (D) The Federal minimum wage in effect under 
                section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 
                (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)).
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $2,500,000,000 for the period of 
fiscal years 2024 through 2028.

SEC. 205. NON-DISCRIMINATION.

    No person in the United States shall, on the basis of actual or 
perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including sexual 
orientation and gender identity), or disability, be excluded from 
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to 
discrimination under--
            (1) any program or activity funded, in whole or in part, 
        with funds made available under this title; or
            (2) any other program or activity funded, in whole or in 
        part, with funds appropriated for grants, cooperative 
        agreements, and other assistance administered by the Assistant 
        Secretary.
                                 <all>