[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6198 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6198

To support infrastructure investment in small law enforcement agencies 
                      and small fire departments.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 2, 2023

   Mr. Pappas (for himself, Ms. Letlow, and Mr. Kean of New Jersey) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and 
Infrastructure, and Science, Space, and Technology, 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 support infrastructure investment in small law enforcement agencies 
                      and small fire departments.

    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 ``Building Up Infrastructure for Local 
Departments Act of 2023'' or the ``BUILD Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. BUILDING UP INFRASTRUCTURE FOR LOCAL DEPARTMENTS GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Grant Program.--Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 is amended by adding at the end the following:

   ``PART PP--BUILDING UP INFRASTRUCTURE FOR LOCAL DEPARTMENTS GRANT 
                                PROGRAM

``SEC. 3061. GRANT AUTHORIZATION.

    ``The Attorney General is authorized to make grants to State and 
local law enforcement agencies that serve jurisdictions with fewer than 
50,000 residents for use in accordance with section 3062.

``SEC. 3062. USE OF FUNDS.

    ``(a) In General.--Funds made available to a State or local law 
enforcement agency under this part shall be used for a project to 
modify, upgrade, or construct a facility of the law enforcement agency, 
which project shall have a substantial nexus to--
            ``(1) the improvement of the provision of emergency 
        services;
            ``(2) the training and development of law enforcement 
        officers;
            ``(3) the recruitment and retention of law enforcement 
        officers;
            ``(4) community engagement; or
            ``(5) the improvement of community safety.
    ``(b) Clarification.--A portion of a project to modify, upgrade, or 
construct a facility of law enforcement agency that does not have a 
substantial nexus to any of paragraphs (1) through (5), such portion 
may not use funds made available under this part.

``SEC. 3063. APPLICATION.

    ``The head of a State or local law enforcement agency seeking a 
grant under this part shall submit to the Attorney General at such time 
and containing such information as the Attorney General may reasonably 
require, including an estimate of the cost of the project for which the 
grant will be used, as well as a demonstration of financial need for 
the grant.

``SEC. 3064. DUTIES OF ATTORNEY GENERAL.

    ``(a) Guidance.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
enactment of this part, the Attorney General shall issue guidance to 
carry out the grant program under this part.
    ``(b) Distribution of Information.--The Attorney General shall 
distribute information about the grant program under this part to 
eligible State and local law enforcement agencies.
    ``(c) Equitable Distribution.--In awarding grants under this part, 
the Attorney General shall ensure, to the extent practicable, an 
equitable geographic distribution among the regions of the United 
States.
    ``(d) Report.--On the date that is 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this part, and biannually thereafter until the date that 
is 6 years after the date of enactment of this part, the Attorney 
General shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a report 
on the grant program under this part.

``SEC. 3065. GRANT AMOUNT.

    ``A grant under this part may not exceed $4,000,000.

``SEC. 3066. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There is authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General to 
carry out this section $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 
through 2026.''.
    (b) Reports.--
            (1) Attorney general.--The Attorney General shall 
        periodically conduct and publish a study of the met and unmet 
        construction and renovation needs of a national sample of law 
        enforcement agencies. Such study may be conducted as a 
        supplement to the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative 
        Statistics program operated by the Bureau of Justice 
        Statistics.
            (2) GAO.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
        States shall conduct a study on the sufficiency of existing 
        capital infrastructure for law enforcement agencies serving 
        jurisdictions with fewer than 50,000 residents, including the 
        met and unmet construction and renovation needs of such law 
        enforcement agencies. Such report shall include projections 
        relating to such needs over the following periods:
                    (A) One to five years.
                    (B) Five to ten years.
                    (C) More than ten years.

SEC. 3. BUILDING UP INFRASTRUCTURE FOR LOCAL DEPARTMENTS--FIRE GRANT 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) Grant Authorization.--The Administrator is authorized to make 
grants to entities described in subsection (b) to modify, upgrade, or 
construct fire department facilities.
    (b) Entities Described.--Entities described in this subsection are 
career fire departments, combination fire departments, and volunteer 
fire departments which serve jurisdictions of 50,000 people or fewer.
    (c) Distribution of Information.--The Administrator shall 
distribute to entities described in subsection (b) information 
regarding the grant program.
    (d) Applications.--An entity described in subsection (b) seeking a 
grant under this section shall submit to the Administrator an 
application at such time and containing such information as the 
Administrator may reasonably require, including the size of the 
jurisdiction served by such applicant, an estimate of the cost of the 
project for which the grant will be used, and a demonstration of 
financial need for the grant.
    (e) Uses of Funds.--In carrying out the purpose described in 
subsection (a), a recipient of a grant under this section may use funds 
received for the following:
            (1) The improvement of the provision of emergency services, 
        including either firefighting or affiliated EMS capabilities.
            (2) The training and development of firefighting or EMS 
        personnel.
            (3) The recruitment and retention of such personnel, 
        including by improving safety.
            (4) Community engagement.
            (5) The improvement of community safety.
    (f) Equitable Distribution.--In awarding grants under this part, 
the Administrator shall ensure, to the extent practicable, an equitable 
geographic distribution among the regions of the United States.
    (g) Grant Amount.--A grant under this section may not exceed 
$4,000,000.
    (h) Reports on Grants.--Not later than two years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act and biennially thereafter for six years, the 
Administrator shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a 
report on grants made under this section.
    (i) Reports on Construction and Renovation Needs.--
            (1) FEMA.--To the greatest extent possible, the 
        Administrator shall periodically conduct and publish a study of 
        the met and unmet construction and renovation needs of a 
        national sample of career fire departments, combination fire 
        departments, and volunteer fire departments.
            (2) GAO.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
        States shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a 
        report on the sufficiency of existing capital infrastructure 
        for career fire departments, combination fire departments, and 
        volunteer fire departments nationwide serving jurisdictions 
        with fewer than 50,000 residents, including the met and unmet 
        construction and renovation needs and the provision of 
        emergency services. Such report shall include projections 
        relating to such needs and services over the following periods:
                    (A) One to five years.
                    (B) Five to ten years.
                    (C) More than ten years.
    (j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2024 through 2026 to carry out this section.
    (k) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
            (2) Career fire department.--The term ``career fire 
        department'' means a fire department that has an all-paid force 
        of firefighting personnel other than paid-on-call firefighters.
            (3) Combination fire department.--The term ``combination 
        fire department'' means a fire department that has--
                    (A) paid firefighting personnel; and
                    (B) volunteer firefighting personnel.
            (4) EMS.--The term ``EMS'' means emergency medical 
        services.
            (5) Volunteer fire department.--The term ``volunteer fire 
        department'' means a fire department that has an all-volunteer 
        force of firefighting personnel.
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