[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 14, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H3046-H3048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         RECRUIT AND RETAIN ACT

  Mr. HUNT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
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.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is 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--
       (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--

[[Page H3047]]

       (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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Hunt) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ivey) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HUNT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
to include extraneous material on S. 546.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HUNT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have the Recruit and Retain Act before 
the House today. The Recruit and Retain Act is about helping our men 
and women in blue. This legislation passed the Senate by unanimous 
consent, and I am proud to sponsor and lead this bill in the House 
along with my fellow committee member across the aisle, Representative 
Glenn Ivey.
  Our police departments are struggling with crisis-level recruiting 
shortages.
  Here in Washington, for example, the Metropolitan Police Department 
has the lowest number of officers it has had in the past 50 years.
  Another example, since 2019, the Chicago police force has lost 3,300 
officers as of October 2022, and it has only replaced about half of 
those departures.
  Some small towns that don't have as many resources are even having to 
shutter their police departments entirely.
  We cannot stand by and let this continue to happen across our 
country, and this is why we need the Recruit and Retain Act.
  Currently, the DOJ provides grants to State, local, and Tribal 
governments to hire law enforcement officers under the COPS Hiring 
program. The Recruit and Retain Act would leverage the COPS Hiring 
program to ensure the program is responsive to the latest hiring 
challenges that law enforcement agencies are experiencing nationwide.
  This bill would reduce the cost of onboarding new officers, 
specifically fees associated with background checks, psychological 
evaluations, and other testing. It will also alleviate administrative 
burdens and clarify application guidance to ensure grants are 
accessible to all law enforcement agencies. It will create new 
opportunities for law enforcement to build trust and interest in law 
enforcement careers with local youth.

                              {time}  1615

  Lastly, the bill will require research into the latest data and 
uncover new insights into law enforcement recruitment and retention 
trends across the country.
  This bill does not authorize new funds or create new grant programs, 
and it only allows existing COPS grants to be used for recruiting and 
retaining police officers.
  I am proud to say this bill has been endorsed by the Federal Law 
Enforcement Officers Association, Fraternal Order of Police, Major 
Cities Chiefs Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, National 
Association of Police Organizations, National Sheriffs' Association, 
and others.
  When our police departments are well funded and maintained, our 
communities are safer. Americans are safer. Let's support our cops. 
Let's help attract the best and the brightest to the law enforcement 
profession. That is so important in the environment our police officers 
live and work in every single day in this country.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Recruit and Retain 
Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. IVEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 546, the Recruit and Retain 
Act. H.R. 3325, the identical House version of the bill that I am co-
leading with Congressman Hunt of Texas, passed the Judiciary Committee 
last week.
  The Recruit and Retain Act addresses two key goals that are central 
to Police Week, recruiting young people who want to become law 
enforcement officers for the right reasons, and relieving the financial 
burden of recruiting and retaining law enforcement officers by 
assisting law enforcement agencies with the costs of the recruitment 
and application process.
  The Recruit and Retain Act is supported by the Fraternal Order of 
Police, National Sheriffs' Association, Major Cities Chiefs 
Association, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National 
Association of Police Organizations, Major County Sheriffs of America, 
and several other organizations.
  Recruiting and retaining highly trained law enforcement professionals 
is of the utmost importance. Our ability to attract and develop the 
best, brightest, and most compassionate and dedicated men and women of 
diverse backgrounds is vital to the health and well-being of our 
Nation.
  Keeping our residents safe and promoting better community relations 
will lead to safer streets and better policing. We must incentivize 
hiring and retaining the people who will do the best job of 
safeguarding our communities through wise use of the most up-to-date 
law enforcement techniques.
  For quite some time, law enforcement agencies nationwide have been 
facing a challenge in their efforts to maintain an appropriately 
staffed police force. Due in part to changing demographics, they have 
experienced high rates of resignations and retirements of law 
enforcement officers.
  The 2021 Police Executive Research Forum Workforce Survey of law 
enforcement agencies revealed a 5 percent decrease in the overall 
hiring rate, an 18 percent increase in resignations, and a 45 percent 
increase in retirements from responding agencies.
  The Recruit and Retain Act would establish a new model for the 
productive recruitment of future law enforcement officers who want to 
join police forces for the right reasons. Enhancing recruitment of 
qualified law enforcement officers who are dedicated to the highest 
principles of policing may also reduce an agency's attrition and 
resignations over the long term.
  Through the bill's Pipeline Partnership Program, students will 
benefit from age-appropriate teachings about the rule of law, the value 
of law in an ordered society, and the centrality of the law enforcement 
and judicial systems, including the role that law enforcement officers 
play in maintaining these values within our society.
  With age-appropriate introductions to the concepts of law and its 
importance coming from law enforcement officers and teachers in a 
friendly setting, some students may choose to join law enforcement, 
while others may become inspired to pursue careers as lawyers or public 
servants in other areas of government.
  An introduction of law enforcement through schools would, in some 
ways, be similar to a Junior ROTC program for older students who may 
become interested in law enforcement careers without a contractual 
commitment. It could increase the number of candidates entering the law 
enforcement recruitment officer pipeline for desirable reasons.
  The Pipeline Partnership Program would initially be deployed in a 
small number of jurisdictions, similar to a pilot program, and its 
positive outcomes could subsequently encourage other jurisdictions to 
replicate it.
  The Recruit and Retain Act will also reduce the administrative costs 
of recruiting and retaining officers by assisting with the expenses of 
application fees, such as those for background checks, psychological 
evaluations, and testing. Funds would be made available to defray the 
costs of hiring applicants and rehiring officers, taking the burden off 
of strained law enforcement agencies.
  Additionally, our bill directs the Government Accountability Office 
to conduct a study to better understand the factors that influence 
recruitment and loss of law enforcement agencies. This study will also 
recommend practices that will help reduce barriers to addressing these 
issues.

[[Page H3048]]

  Importantly, the GAO study will assess recruitment, retention, and 
retirement factors experienced by law enforcement agencies nationwide 
in communities of all sizes, including those in rural areas which, in 
some contexts, receive less attention when law enforcement policies are 
evaluated and developed.
  To facilitate those initiatives, rather than allocate additional 
funds, the Recruit and Retain Act would allow jurisdictions that 
receive COPS grants to utilize funds from those grants for the purposes 
outlined in the bill, with some limits and restrictions.

  The bill also includes an annual list of $3 million of COPS grant 
funds that can be used to connect students with law enforcement 
officers and agencies through the Pipeline Partnership Program. 
Although this is a very modest sum, it is sufficient for the creation 
of this program in a limited number of States and municipalities to 
test this concept.
  By implementing these projects in limited locations across the 
Nation, the Recruit and Retain Act will help States and localities make 
informed decisions about adopting the program and its law enforcement 
recruitment procedures.
  Madam Speaker, I thank, again, Congressman Hunt for his leadership on 
this legislation. It is for these reasons that I support S. 546, and I 
urge my colleagues to support this important bill, as well.
  In closing, Madam Speaker, the Recruit and Retain Act initiatives, 
taken together, will serve as a de facto pilot project for many 
localities, large and small, urban and rural, that struggle with law 
enforcement recruitment and retention. Law enforcement agencies will be 
able to benefit from each other's experience when replicating 
initiatives created by this legislation's innovative solutions.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 546, 
the Recruit and Retain Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HUNT. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hunt) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, S. 546.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. HUNT. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________