[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4394 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4394
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to
improve the COPS program with respect to training command-level
personnel, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 27, 2026
Mr. Cornyn (for himself and Mr. Whitehouse) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to
improve the COPS program with respect to training command-level
personnel, 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.
This Act may be cited as the ``Promoting Police Leadership Act''.
SEC. 2. COMMANDER CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT.
(a) Definitions.--Section 901(a) of title I of the Omnibus Crime
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10251(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (32), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (33), by striking the period at the end
and inserting a semicolon; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(34) the term `command-level personnel' means law
enforcement officers employed by a State, local, or Tribal law
enforcement agency whose responsibilities include managing,
directing, or overseeing law enforcement operations within a
geographic subunit of the jurisdiction in which such agency has
primary responsibility for law enforcement activities.''.
(b) COPS Program.--Section 1701 of title I of the Omnibus Crime
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(q) Training in Improving Police Command-Level Personnel
Leadership, Management, and Effectiveness.--
``(1) Training curricula.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of enactment of this subsection, the Attorney
General shall develop training curricula or identify
effective existing training curricula for command-level
personnel relating to--
``(i) leadership and strategic thinking;
``(ii) critical incident response and
management, including understanding, preparing
for, and responding to the effect of critical
incidents on officers and communities;
``(iii) risk management;
``(iv) officer wellness;
``(v) data analysis and data-driven
policing tactics;
``(vi) evidence-based decision making; and
``(vii) building community trust.
``(B) Requirements.--The training curricula
developed or identified under this paragraph shall
include--
``(i) primarily in-person instruction and
peer-to-peer learning;
``(ii) a framework for a practical,
evidence-based problem solving component under
which participating command-level personnel--
``(I) identify and develop a
proposed solution to a leadership,
operational, or management challenge
relevant to personnel in the command-
level personnel's employing law
enforcement agency;
``(II) receive feedback from
curriculum instructors and other
participating command-level personnel
to refine the proposed solution
accordingly to meet the needs of the
law enforcement agency and community
served; and
``(III) present a final,
implementable product emphasizing
evidence-based strategies to program
instructors and the command-level
personnel's district or geographic
command; and
``(iii) the incorporation of pre-course and
post-course assessments to measure knowledge
acquisition and leadership competencies
relevant to the training curricula.
``(C) Consultation.--The Attorney General shall
develop and identify training curricula under this
paragraph in consultation with relevant law enforcement
agencies of States and units of local government,
universities with appropriate law-enforcement or
leadership programs, and any other entities the
Attorney General determines appropriate.
``(2) Certified programs and courses.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after
the date on which training curricula are developed or
identified under paragraph (1), the Attorney General
shall establish a process to--
``(i) certify training programs and courses
offered to command-level personnel which
incorporate 1 or more of the training curricula
developed or identified under paragraph (1), or
equivalents to such training curricula, which
may include certifying training programs or
courses offered on or before the date on which
the Attorney General establishes the process;
and
``(ii) terminate the certification of a
training program or course that fails to meet
the standards developed or identified under
paragraph (1).
``(B) Partnerships with educational institutions.--
Not later than 180 days after the date on which
training curricula are developed or identified under
paragraph (1), the Attorney General shall develop
criteria to ensure that entities which offer training
programs or courses that are certified under
subparagraph (A) collaborate with educational
institutions to evaluate and continuously improve the
curricula and coursework of those educational
institutions.
``(3) List.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which
the Attorney General completes the activities required under
paragraphs (1) and (2), the Attorney General shall publish a
list of law enforcement agencies of States and units of local
government employing law enforcement officers who have
successfully completed a course using the training curricula
developed or identified under paragraph (1), or equivalents to
such training curricula, which shall include--
``(A) the total number of law enforcement officers
that are employed by the law enforcement agency; and
``(B) the number of law enforcement officers who
have completed such a course.''.
SEC. 3. ATTORNEY GENERAL REPORTS.
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until the date
that is 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Attorney General shall submit to Congress a report on the
activities carried out as a result of the amendments made under
section 2.
(2) Contents.--Each report under paragraph (1) shall
include, at a minimum, information on--
(A) steps taken by the Attorney General to develop
or identify curricula under section 1701(q)(1) of the
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as
added by section 2;
(B) any assessments conducted or identified by the
Attorney General on the effectiveness and utilization
of curricula developed or identified under section
1701(q)(1) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
Streets Act of 1968, as added by section 2;
(C) recommendations for curriculum updates and
improvements; and
(D) barriers to training implementation.
SEC. 4. GAO REPORT.
Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Comptroller General of the United States shall--
(1) conduct a review of the actions taken by the Attorney
General pursuant to this Act and the amendments made by this
Act; and
(2) submit to Congress a report on the review conducted
under paragraph (1), which shall include a description of--
(A) the process for developing and identifying
curricula under section 1701(q)(1) of the Omnibus Crime
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as added by
section 2, including the effectiveness of the
consultation by the Attorney General with the agencies,
associations, and organizations identified under that
section; and
(B) the certification of training programs and
courses under section 1701(q)(2) of the Omnibus Crime
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as added by
section 2, including the development of the process for
certification and its implementation.
SEC. 5. STATE CERTIFICATIONS AND TRAINING STANDARDS.
Nothing in this Act, or an amendment made by this Act, shall be
construed to preempt or replace the authority of any State or local
government, including any Peace Officer Standards and Training entity
or similar certifying body, to set and enforce certification, training,
or qualification standards for law enforcement officers.
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