[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 26, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3580-S3582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECRUIT AND RETAIN ACT
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 86, S.
546.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 546) to amend the Omnibus Crime control and Safe
Streets Act of 1968 to authorize law enforcement agencies to
use COPS grants for recruitment activities, and for other
purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill,
which had been reported from the Committee on the Judiciary with an
amendment, as follows:
(The part of the bill intended to be stricken is in boldfaced
brackets, and the part of the bill intended to be inserted is in
italic.)
S. 546
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 ``Recruit and Retain Act''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVING COPS GRANTS FOR POLICE HIRING PURPOSES.
(a) Grant Use Expansion.--Section 1701(b) of title I of the
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C.
10381(b)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through (23) as
paragraphs (6) through (24), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
``(5) to support hiring activities by law enforcement
agencies experiencing declines in officer recruitment
applications by reducing application-related fees, such as
fees for background checks, psychological evaluations, and
testing[.]''.
(b) Technical Amendment.--Section 1701(b)(23) of title I of
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34
U.S.C. 10381(b)(23)) is amended by striking ``(21)'' and
inserting ``(22)''.
SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.
Section 1701 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (i) through (n) as
subsections (j) through (o), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (h) the following:
``(i) Administrative Costs.--Not more than 2 percent of a
grant made for the hiring or rehiring of additional career
law enforcement officers may be used for costs incurred to
administer such grant.''.
SEC. 4. PIPELINE PARTNERSHIP 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
inserting after subsection (o) the following:
``(p) COPS Pipeline Partnership Program.--
``(1) Eligible entity defined.--In this subsection, the
term `eligible entity' means a law enforcement agency in
partnership with not less than 1 educational institution,
which may include 1 or any combination of the following:
``(A) An elementary school.
``(B) A secondary school.
``(C) An institution of higher education.
``(D) A Hispanic-serving institution.
``(E) A historically Black college or university.
``(F) A Tribal college.
``(2) Grants.--The Attorney General shall award competitive
grants to eligible entities for recruiting activities that--
``(A) support substantial student engagement for the
exploration of potential future career opportunities in law
enforcement;
``(B) strengthen recruitment by law enforcement agencies
experiencing a decline in recruits, or high rates of
resignations or retirements;
``(C) enhance community interactions between local youth
and law enforcement agencies that are designed to increase
recruiting; and
``(D) otherwise improve the outcomes of local law
enforcement recruitment through activities such as dedicated
programming for students, work-based learning opportunities,
project-based learning, mentoring, community liaisons, career
or job fairs, work site visits, job shadowing,
apprenticeships, or skills-based internships.
``(3) Funding.--Of the amounts made available to carry out
this part for a fiscal year, the Attorney General may use not
more than $3,000,000 to carry out this subsection.''.
SEC. 5. COPS GRANT GUIDANCE FOR AGENCIES OPERATING BELOW
BUDGETED STRENGTH.
Section 1704 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10384) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(d) Guidance for Understaffed Law Enforcement Agencies.--
``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Covered applicant.--The term `covered applicant'
means an applicant for a hiring grant under this part seeking
funding for a law enforcement agency operating below the
budgeted strength of the law enforcement agency.
``(B) Budgeted strength.--The term `budgeted strength'
means the employment of the maximum number of sworn law
enforcement officers the budget of a law enforcement agency
allows the agency to employ.
[[Page S3581]]
``(2) Procedures.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall
establish consistent procedures for covered applicants,
including guidance that--
``(A) clarifies that covered applicants remain eligible for
funding under this part; and
``(B) enables covered applicants to attest that the funding
from a grant awarded under this part is not being used by the
law enforcement agency to supplant State or local funds, as
described in subsection (a).
``(3) Paperwork reduction.--In developing the procedures
and guidance under paragraph (2), the Attorney General shall
take measures to reduce paperwork requirements for grants to
covered applicants.''.
SEC. 6. STUDY ON POLICE RECRUITMENT.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall conduct a study to consider the comprehensive
effects of recruitment and attrition rates on Federal, State,
Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies in the United
States, to identify--
(A) the primary reasons that law enforcement officers--
(i) join law enforcement agencies; and
(ii) resign or retire from law enforcement agencies;
(B) how the reasons described in subparagraph (A) may have
changed over time;
(C) the effects of recruitment and attrition on public
safety;
(D) the effects of electronic media on recruitment efforts;
(E) barriers to the recruitment and retention of Federal,
State, and local law enforcement officers; and
(F) recommendations for potential ways to address barriers
to the recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers,
including the barriers identified in subparagraph (E).
(2) Representative cross-section.--
(A) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall endeavor to ensure accurate representation of
law enforcement agencies in the study conducted pursuant to
paragraph (1) by surveying a broad cross-section of law
enforcement agencies--
(i) from various regions of the United States;
(ii) of different sizes; and
(iii) from rural, suburban, and urban jurisdictions.
(B) Methods description.--The study conducted pursuant to
paragraph (1) shall include in the report under subsection
(b) a description of the methods used to identify a
representative sample of law enforcement agencies.
(b) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall--
(1) submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate
and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives a report containing the study conducted under
subsection (a); and
(2) make the report submitted under paragraph (1) publicly
available online.
(c) Confidentiality.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall ensure that the study conducted under subsection
(a) protects the privacy of participating law enforcement
agencies.
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. I further ask unanimous consent that the committee-
reported amendment be agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendment was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. I know of no further debate on the bill, as
amended.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read
the third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The bill having been read the third time, the
question is, Shall the bill pass?
The bill (S. 546), as amended, was passed, as follows:
S. 546
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 ``Recruit and Retain Act''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVING COPS GRANTS FOR POLICE HIRING PURPOSES.
(a) Grant Use Expansion.--Section 1701(b) of title I of the
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C.
10381(b)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through (23) as
paragraphs (6) through (24), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
``(5) to support hiring activities by law enforcement
agencies experiencing declines in officer recruitment
applications by reducing application-related fees, such as
fees for background checks, psychological evaluations, and
testing;''.
(b) Technical Amendment.--Section 1701(b)(23) of title I of
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34
U.S.C. 10381(b)(23)) is amended by striking ``(21)'' and
inserting ``(22)''.
SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.
Section 1701 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (i) through (n) as
subsections (j) through (o), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (h) the following:
``(i) Administrative Costs.--Not more than 2 percent of a
grant made for the hiring or rehiring of additional career
law enforcement officers may be used for costs incurred to
administer such grant.''.
SEC. 4. PIPELINE PARTNERSHIP 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
inserting after subsection (o) the following:
``(p) COPS Pipeline Partnership Program.--
``(1) Eligible entity defined.--In this subsection, the
term `eligible entity' means a law enforcement agency in
partnership with not less than 1 educational institution,
which may include 1 or any combination of the following:
``(A) An elementary school.
``(B) A secondary school.
``(C) An institution of higher education.
``(D) A Hispanic-serving institution.
``(E) A historically Black college or university.
``(F) A Tribal college.
``(2) Grants.--The Attorney General shall award competitive
grants to eligible entities for recruiting activities that--
``(A) support substantial student engagement for the
exploration of potential future career opportunities in law
enforcement;
``(B) strengthen recruitment by law enforcement agencies
experiencing a decline in recruits, or high rates of
resignations or retirements;
``(C) enhance community interactions between local youth
and law enforcement agencies that are designed to increase
recruiting; and
``(D) otherwise improve the outcomes of local law
enforcement recruitment through activities such as dedicated
programming for students, work-based learning opportunities,
project-based learning, mentoring, community liaisons, career
or job fairs, work site visits, job shadowing,
apprenticeships, or skills-based internships.
``(3) Funding.--Of the amounts made available to carry out
this part for a fiscal year, the Attorney General may use not
more than $3,000,000 to carry out this subsection.''.
SEC. 5. COPS GRANT GUIDANCE FOR AGENCIES OPERATING BELOW
BUDGETED STRENGTH.
Section 1704 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10384) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(d) Guidance for Understaffed Law Enforcement Agencies.--
``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Covered applicant.--The term `covered applicant'
means an applicant for a hiring grant under this part seeking
funding for a law enforcement agency operating below the
budgeted strength of the law enforcement agency.
``(B) Budgeted strength.--The term `budgeted strength'
means the employment of the maximum number of sworn law
enforcement officers the budget of a law enforcement agency
allows the agency to employ.
``(2) Procedures.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall
establish consistent procedures for covered applicants,
including guidance that--
``(A) clarifies that covered applicants remain eligible for
funding under this part; and
``(B) enables covered applicants to attest that the funding
from a grant awarded under this part is not being used by the
law enforcement agency to supplant State or local funds, as
described in subsection (a).
``(3) Paperwork reduction.--In developing the procedures
and guidance under paragraph (2), the Attorney General shall
take measures to reduce paperwork requirements for grants to
covered applicants.''.
SEC. 6. STUDY ON POLICE RECRUITMENT.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall conduct a study to consider the comprehensive
effects of recruitment and attrition rates on Federal, State,
Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies in the United
States, to identify--
(A) the primary reasons that law enforcement officers--
(i) join law enforcement agencies; and
(ii) resign or retire from law enforcement agencies;
(B) how the reasons described in subparagraph (A) may have
changed over time;
(C) the effects of recruitment and attrition on public
safety;
(D) the effects of electronic media on recruitment efforts;
(E) barriers to the recruitment and retention of Federal,
State, and local law enforcement officers; and
(F) recommendations for potential ways to address barriers
to the recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers,
including the barriers identified in subparagraph (E).
(2) Representative cross-section.--
(A) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall endeavor to ensure accurate representation of
law enforcement agencies in the study conducted pursuant to
paragraph (1) by surveying a broad cross-section of law
enforcement agencies--
[[Page S3582]]
(i) from various regions of the United States;
(ii) of different sizes; and
(iii) from rural, suburban, and urban jurisdictions.
(B) Methods description.--The study conducted pursuant to
paragraph (1) shall include in the report under subsection
(b) a description of the methods used to identify a
representative sample of law enforcement agencies.
(b) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United
States shall--
(1) submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate
and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives a report containing the study conducted under
subsection (a); and
(2) make the report submitted under paragraph (1) publicly
available online.
(c) Confidentiality.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall ensure that the study conducted under subsection
(a) protects the privacy of participating law enforcement
agencies.
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider
be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action
or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________