[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4387 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4387
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 15, 2025
Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania (for herself, Ms. Pressley, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr.
McGarvey, and Ms. Jayapal) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the
Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and Workforce,
Transportation and Infrastructure, and Financial Services, 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 ``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, including Black communities, Latine/x communities,
Indigenous communities, communities of color, poor and working
class communities, and LGBTQIA+ communities, to implement
qualified approaches to community safety, with an emphasis on
culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Community-based organization.--The term ``community-
based organization'' means a public or private nonprofit
organization of demonstrated effectiveness that--
(A) is representative of a community or significant
segments of a community; and
(B) provides educational or related services to
individuals in the community.
(2) 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, counseling (as allowed under State
licensing requirements), social support, and advocacy.
(3) 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.
(4) 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.
(5) Qualified approach to community safety.--The term
``qualified approach to community safety'' means evidence-
informed, nonpunitive approaches to prevent, address, and
respond to violence and otherwise enhance public safety using
programs, services, and infrastructure investments that provide
alternatives to law enforcement, criminal courts, prosecution,
probation, child welfare services, involuntary treatment, and
immigration enforcement.
(6) 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.
(7) Rural area.--The term ``rural area'' means an area that
is not classified by the Census Bureau as urban.
(8) 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 harmed 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.
(9) 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, the
Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands,
the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau.
(10) 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 National Advisory Committee under section
102;
(B) the Interagency Task Force under section 103;
(C) the Community Safety Grant for community-led
organizations under section 201;
(D) the Community Safety Grant for Local
Governments under section 202;
(E) the Community Safety Grant for States under
section 203; and
(F) 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) developing data systems and processes for evaluating
the impact of grants made under title II, including through the
use of data matching and other tools to inform target
populations and geographic areas;
(9) 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
(10) 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
standards.
SEC. 102. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
(a) In General.--The Division shall establish a national advisory
committee to advise and make recommendations to the Assistant Secretary
about the activities of the Division established under section 101 and
grant programs under title II, to be known as the National Advisory
Committee (referred to in this Act as the ``Advisory Committee'').
(b) Composition.--
(1) In general.--The Advisory Committee shall be composed
of individuals to be selected by the Secretary.
(2) Representation.--The Assistant Secretary shall ensure
that individuals selected to serve as members of the Advisory
Committee--
(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 harmed 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 harmed 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 Committee shall serve at
a rate of pay to be determined by the Secretary.
(4) Responsibilities.--The duties of the Advisory Committee
are as follows:
(A) Making recommendations regarding 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
subparagraph (A), 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 who
represent communities that have been
disproportionately impacted by the criminal-
legal system, such as those 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 90 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 Committee'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.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the duties of
the Advisory Committee.
SEC. 103. 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 carry out the following:
(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) Report to Congress.--Not later than 90 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.
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, compared to the
surrounding region;
(2) are led by, or employ, individuals who have been harmed
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; or
(4) primarily serve federally recognized Native American
Tribes and their members.
(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, community violence
intervention programs, school-based violence prevention
programs, and safe passage to school programs.
(3) Participatory investments into the built environment,
including park redevelopment, streetlights, home repairs,
remediating vacant lots, trash collection, 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, summer jobs, targeted workforce
development, and two-intergenerational 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) Additional Use of Funds.--The Secretary may authorize
additional uses of funds that--
(1) have a demonstrable connection to improving community
safety through the use of qualified approaches to community
safety; and
(2) support the objectives of the Division on Community
Safety.
(f) Additional Grants.--The Secretary may authorize additional
funds under this section to community-based organizations that
previously received funds under this section if the Secretary
determines the previously received funds were successfully deployed and
additional funding would assist in expanding qualified approaches to
community safety and ensuring a sustainable, coordinated approach in
the jurisdiction the organization serves.
(g) 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.
(h) Limitations.--
(1) Qualified approaches to community safety.--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) Rural areas.--Not less than 30 percent of the total
amount of funding made available for grants under this section
shall be awarded to organizations located in rural areas.
(i) 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 biannually 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, 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 on 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, except as required to be disclosed
by State or Federal law, 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.
(j) Evaluation.--
(1) In general.--The Division on Community Safety shall
review and evaluate information provided in the reports
submitted by organizations receiving funds under this section,
and other information available to the Division, including by
conducting data matching and other forms of data analysis, and
periodically submit such analyses to the Secretary.
(2) Incorporation of analyses.--The Secretary shall
incorporate analyses provided by the Division on Community
Safety into decision-making regarding awarding additional
grants under this section.
(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $4,000,000,000 for the period of
fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
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) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary
shall give priority 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, and 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 and compared to the surrounding
region); 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 harmed 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 carry out the following:
(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) Additional Use of Funds.--The Secretary may authorize
additional uses of funds that--
(1) have a demonstrable connection to improving community
safety through the use of qualified approaches to community
safety; and
(2) support the objectives of the Division on Community
Safety.
(f) Grant Amounts.--In determining the amount of a grant awarded to
a 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.
(g) Additional Grants.--The Secretary may authorize additional
funds under this section to units of local government that previously
received funds under this section if the Secretary determines the
previously received funds were successfully deployed and additional
funding would assist in expanding qualified approaches to community
safety and ensuring a sustainable, coordinated approach in the
jurisdiction of the local government.
(h) 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) Not less than 30 percent of the total amount made
available for grants under this section shall be awarded to
units of local government with less than 50 percent of their
total land area jurisdiction classified as urban by the Census
Bureau.
(3) Each 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)).
(i) Reporting.--Beginning not later than 6 months after the date on
which a local government receives a grant under this section, and
biannually 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, and disability
status; and
(5) the percentage of grant funds that ultimately benefited
community-based organizations.
(j) Evaluation.--
(1) In general.--The Division on Community Safety shall
review and evaluate information provided in the reports
submitted by units of local government receiving funds under
this section, and other information available to the Division,
including by conducting data matching and other forms of data
analysis, and submit such analyses to the Secretary.
(2) Incorporation of analyses.--The Secretary shall
incorporate analyses provided by the Division on Community
Safety into decision-making regarding awarding additional
grants under this section.
(k) 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.
(l) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to implement this section $3,500,000,000 for the period of
fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
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) Additional Use of Funds.--The Secretary may authorize
additional uses of funds that--
(1) have a demonstrable connection to improving community
safety through the use of qualified approaches to community
safety; and
(2) support the objectives of the Division on Community
Safety.
(f) 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.
(g) Additional Grants.--The Secretary may authorize additional
funds under this section to States that previously received funds under
this section if the Secretary determines the previously received funds
were successfully deployed and additional funding would assist in
expanding qualified approaches to community safety and ensuring a
sustainable, coordinated approach in the State.
(h) 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) Not less than 30 percent of the total amount made
available for grants under this section shall be awarded to
States with less than 50 percent of their total land area
classified as urban by the Census Bureau.
(i) Reporting.--Beginning not later than 6 months after the date on
which a State receives a grant under this section, and biannually
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, and disability
status.
(j) Evaluation.--
(1) In general.--The Division on Community Safety shall
review and evaluate information provided in the reports
submitted by States receiving funds under this section, and
other information available to the Division, including by
conducting data matching and other forms of data analysis, and
submit such analyses to the Secretary.
(2) Incorporation of analyses.--The Secretary shall
incorporate analyses provided by the Division on Community
Safety into decision-making regarding awarding additional
grants under this section.
(k) 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.
(l) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to implement this section $3,500,000,000 for the period of
fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
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 Funds.--A grant awarded under subsection (a) may be used
to--
(1) recruit, 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) Additional Use of Funds.--The Secretary may authorize
additional uses of funds that--
(1) have a demonstrable connection to improving community
safety through the use of qualified approaches to community
safety; and
(2) support the objectives of the Division on Community
Safety.
(d) Additional Grants.--The Secretary may authorize additional
funds under this section to entities that previously received funds
under this section if the Secretary determines the previously received
funds were successfully deployed and additional funding would assist in
expanding qualified approaches to community safety and ensuring a
sustainable, coordinated approach in the jurisdiction the entity
serves.
(e) 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) Not less than 30 percent of the total amount made
available for grants under this section shall be awarded to
entities located in rural areas.
(3) 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)).
(f) Evaluation.--
(1) In general.--The Division on Community Safety shall
review and evaluate information provided in the reports
submitted by entities receiving funds under this section, and
other information available to the Division, including by
conducting data matching and other forms of data analysis, and
submit such analyses to the Secretary.
(2) Incorporation of analyses.--The Secretary shall
incorporate analyses provided by the Division on Community
Safety into decision-making regarding awarding additional
grants under this section.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $2,500,000,000 for the period of
fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
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