[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6521 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6521

  To authorize a Law Enforcement Education Grant program to encourage 
            students to pursue a career in law enforcement.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 30, 2023

Mrs. Fischbach (for herself, Mr. Stauber, and Mr. Higgins of Louisiana) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                      Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize a Law Enforcement Education Grant program to encourage 
            students to pursue a career in law enforcement.

    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 Education Grant 
Program Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. LAW ENFORCEMENT EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM.

    Part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1070 et seq.) is amended by inserting at the end of subpart 7 the 
following new subpart:

             ``Subpart 8--Law Enforcement Education Grants

``SEC. 420. LAW ENFORCEMENT EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.

    ``(a) Program Authority.--
            ``(1) Payments required.--The Secretary is authorized to 
        carry out a Law Enforcement Education Grants program to pay to 
        each law enforcement candidate who is selected by the 
        Secretary, on a competitive basis, to participate in such 
        program, a Law Enforcement Education Grant in the amount of 
        $4,000 for each year during which that candidate is eligible.
            ``(2) References.--Grants made under paragraph (1) shall be 
        known as `Law Enforcement Education Grants'.
            ``(3) Funding.--Of the amounts otherwise authorized to be 
        appropriated to carry out this title, such sums as may be 
        necessary are authorized to be made available to carry out this 
        subpart, except that--
                    ``(A) none of the sums made available to carry out 
                this subpart may be derived from amounts authorized to 
                be appropriated to carry out the Federal Pell Grants 
                program under section 401 or the Federal Direct Loan 
                Program under part D; and
                    ``(B) to the extent that insufficient amounts are 
                made available in any fiscal year to carry out all 
                programs authorized under this title, the Secretary 
                shall give priority to fully funding the program under 
                this subpart.
    ``(b) Distribution of Grants to Law Enforcement Candidates.--
Payments under this subpart shall be made, in accordance with 
regulations promulgated by the Secretary for such purpose, in such 
manner as will best accomplish the purposes of this subpart.
    ``(c) Reductions in Amount.--
            ``(1) Part-time students.--In any case where a law 
        enforcement candidate attends an eligible institution on less 
        than a full-time basis (including a law enforcement candidate 
        who attends an eligible institution on less than a half-time 
        basis) during any year, the amount of a grant under this 
        subpart for which that law enforcement candidate is eligible 
        shall be reduced in proportion to the degree to which that law 
        enforcement candidate is not attending on a full-time basis, in 
        accordance with a schedule of reductions established by the 
        Secretary for the purposes of this subpart, computed in 
        accordance with this subpart. Such schedule of reductions shall 
        be established by regulation and published in the Federal 
        Register in accordance with section 482 of this Act.
            ``(2) No exceeding cost.--The amount of a grant awarded 
        under this subpart, in combination with Federal student 
        assistance and other student assistance the law enforcement 
        candidate may receive, shall not exceed the cost of attendance 
        (as defined in section 472) at the eligible institution at 
        which that law enforcement candidate is in attendance.
    ``(d) Period of Eligibility for Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--The period during which a student may 
        receive grants under this subpart shall be the period required 
        for the completion of the first associate or baccalaureate 
        course of study related to law enforcement or criminal justice 
        being pursued by the law enforcement candidate at the eligible 
        institution at which the law enforcement candidate is in 
        attendance, except that--
                    ``(A) any period during which the law enforcement 
                candidate is enrolled in a noncredit or remedial course 
                of study as described in paragraph (2) shall not be 
                counted for the purpose of this paragraph; and
                    ``(B) the total amount that a law enforcement 
                candidate may receive under this subpart shall not 
                exceed $16,000.
            ``(2) Remedial course.--Nothing in this subpart shall be 
        construed to exclude from eligibility courses of study which 
        are noncredit or remedial in nature (including courses in 
        English language acquisition) which are determined by the 
        eligible institution to be necessary to help the law 
        enforcement candidate be prepared for the pursuit of a first 
        associate or baccalaureate degree or, in the case of courses in 
        English language instruction, to be necessary to enable the law 
        enforcement candidate to utilize already existing knowledge, 
        training, or skills.

``SEC. 421. APPLICATIONS; ELIGIBILITY; SELECTION.

    ``(a) Applications.--The Secretary shall periodically set dates by 
which students shall file applications to complete for grants under 
this subpart. Each student desiring to compete for a grant under this 
subpart for any year shall file an application containing such 
information and assurances as the Secretary may determine necessary to 
enable the Secretary to carry out the functions and responsibilities of 
this subpart.
    ``(b) Demonstration of Grant Eligibility.--Each application 
submitted under subsection (a) shall contain such information as is 
necessary to demonstrate that the applicant is a student who--
            ``(1) is enrolled at an eligible institution;
            ``(2) is an eligible student for purposes of section 484;
            ``(3) is completing coursework and other requirements 
        necessary to begin a career in law enforcement or criminal 
        justice, or plans to complete such coursework and requirements 
        prior to graduating; and
            ``(4) has not obtained an associate or baccalaureate degree 
        related to law enforcement or criminal justice before receiving 
        a Law Enforcement Education grant.
    ``(c) Selection.--The Secretary shall award grants under this 
subpart competitively on the basis of criteria determined by the 
Secretary by regulation.

``SEC. 422. AGREEMENTS TO SERVE.

    ``(a) Service Agreements.--Each application under section 421(a) 
shall contain or be accompanied by an agreement by the applicant that--
            ``(1) if selected to be a law enforcement candidate, the 
        applicant will--
                    ``(A) serve as a full-time law enforcement officer 
                for a total of not less than 4 years within 8 years 
                after completing the course of study for which the 
                candidate received a Law Enforcement Education Grant 
                under this subpart; and
                    ``(B) submit evidence of such employment in the 
                form of a certification by the chief officer of the law 
                enforcement agency or department employing the 
                candidate upon completion of each year of such service;
            ``(2) in the event that a law enforcement candidate is 
        determined to have failed or refused to carry out such service 
        obligation, the sum of the amounts of any Law Enforcement 
        Education Grants received by such candidate will be treated as 
        a loan and collected from the candidate in accordance with 
        subsection (b) and the regulations thereunder; and
            ``(3) contains, or is accompanied by, a plain-language 
        disclosure form developed by the Secretary that clearly 
        describes the nature of the Law Enforcement Education Grant 
        award, the service obligation, and the loan repayment 
        requirements that are the consequence of the failure to 
        complete the service obligation.
    ``(b) Repayment for Failure To Complete Service.--
            ``(1) In general.--In the event that law enforcement 
        candidate fails or refuses to comply with the service 
        obligation in the agreement under subsection (a), the sum of 
        the amounts of any Law Enforcement Education Grants received by 
        such candidate shall, upon a determination of such a failure or 
        refusal in such service obligation, be treated as a Federal 
        Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan under part D of this title, 
        and shall be subject to repayment, together with interest 
        thereon accruing from the date the grant is converted to such a 
        Loan, in accordance with terms and conditions specified by the 
        Secretary in regulations under this subpart.
            ``(2) Extenuating circumstances.--The Secretary shall 
        establish, by regulation, categories of extenuating 
        circumstances under which a law enforcement candidate who is 
        unable to fulfill all or part of the candidate's service 
        obligation may be excused from fulfilling that portion of the 
        service obligation. Such categories shall ensure that a law 
        enforcement candidate who is hired and serves as a full-time 
        law enforcement officer but is unable to fulfill part of the 
        candidate's service obligation due to medical discharge by a 
        law enforcement agency or department because of a medical issue 
        resulting from service as a law enforcement officer shall be 
        excused from fulfilling the remaining portion of the service 
        obligation.

``SEC. 423. DEFINITIONS.

    ``For the purposes of this subpart:
            ``(1) Eligible institution.--The term `eligible 
        institution' means an institution of higher education, as 
        defined in section 102, that--
                    ``(A) provides an associate or baccalaureate degree 
                in a field related to law enforcement or criminal 
                justice; and
                    ``(B) has been approved by the Police Officer 
                Standard and Training Board of the State in which the 
                institution is located or related State agency.
            ``(2) Law enforcement candidate.--The term `law enforcement 
        candidate' means an individual who is selected by the Secretary 
        to receive a Law Enforcement Education Grant under this 
        subpart.
            ``(3) Law enforcement officer.--The term `law enforcement 
        officer' means any officer, agent, or employee of a State, unit 
        of local government, of Indian tribe who is authorized to 
        supervise the prevention, detection, or investigation of any 
        violation of criminal law.''.

SEC. 3. REPEAL OF UNIVERSITY SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS.

    Part U of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1161u) is repealed.
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