[House Report 118-494]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


118th Congress }                                              {    Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session    }                                              {   118-494

======================================================================



 
IMPROVING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER SAFETY AND WELLNESS THROUGH DATA ACT 
                                OF 2024

                                _______
                                

  May 8, 2024.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

    Mr. Jordan, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                             together with

                            DISSENTING VIEWS

                        [To accompany H.R. 7581]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the 
bill (H.R. 7581) to require the Attorney General to develop 
reports relating to violent attacks against law enforcement 
officers, and for other purposes, having considered the same, 
reports favorably thereon with an amendment and recommends that 
the bill as amended do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Purpose and Summary..............................................     4
Background and Need for the Legislation..........................     4
Hearings.........................................................     8
Committee Consideration..........................................     9
Committee Votes..................................................     9
Committee Oversight Findings.....................................     9
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures........................     9
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate........................     9
Committee Estimate of Budgetary Effects..........................    10
Duplication of Federal Programs..................................    10
Performance Goals and Objectives.................................    10
Advisory on Earmarks.............................................    10
Federal Mandates Statement.......................................    10
Advisory Committee Statement.....................................    10
Applicability to Legislative Branch..............................    11
Section-by-Section Analysis......................................    11
Dissenting Views.................................................    12

    The amendment is as follows:
    Strike all that follows after the enacting clause and 
insert the following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Improving Law Enforcement Officer 
Safety and Wellness Through Data Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

  Congress finds the following:
          (1) There has been a rise in anti-police rhetoric and a 
        corresponding rise in violence against law enforcement 
        officers.
          (2) In 2022, a total of 60 police officers were feloniously 
        killed in the line of duty.
          (3) Nearly 30 percent of police officer killings in 2022 were 
        caused by unprovoked attacks or ambushes on officers.
          (4) Law enforcement officers bravely put themselves at risk 
        for the betterment of society.
          (5) A data collection that represents the full circumstances 
        surrounding violent attacks and ambush attacks on law 
        enforcement officers is vital for the provision of needed 
        Federal resources to Federal, State, and local law enforcement 
        officers.
          (6) Police suffer assaults and other offenses that do not 
        rise to the level of Law Enforcement Officers Killed and 
        Assaulted or National Incident-Based Reporting System reporting 
        due to the frequency of such incidents, lower risk to officers, 
        and minimal administrative resources to report such frequent 
        events.
          (7) The mental health of law enforcement officers has 
        suffered due to overwork, recruitment issues, and the general 
        stress of their work.
          (8) The people of the United States will always remember the 
        victims of these hateful attacks against law enforcement 
        officers and stand in solidarity with individuals affected by 
        these senseless tragedies and incidents of hate that have 
        affected law enforcement communities and their families.
          (9) The United States must demonstrate to its brave law 
        enforcement officers that they are important, valued, and 
        respected.
          (10) Congress has made a commitment to helping communities 
        protect the lives of their police officers, as evidenced by the 
        Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program Reauthorization Act 
        of 2015 (Public Law 114-155; 130 Stat. 389) and other laws.
          (11) Subsection (c) of the Uniform Federal Crime Reporting 
        Act of 1988 (34 U.S.C. 41303(c)) requires the Attorney General 
        to ``acquire, collect, classify, and preserve national data on 
        Federal criminal offenses as part of the Uniform Crime 
        Reports'' and requires all Federal departments and agencies 
        that investigate criminal activity to ``report details about 
        crime within their respective jurisdiction to the Attorney 
        General in a uniform matter and on a form prescribed by the 
        Attorney General''.

SEC. 3. ATTACKS ON LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

  (a) In General.--Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of 
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Director of the National 
Institute of Justice, and the Director of the Criminal Justice 
Information Services Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 
shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the 
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report 
that includes--
          (1) the number of offenders that intentionally target law 
        enforcement officers because of their status as law enforcement 
        officers;
          (2) the number of incidents reported to the Law Enforcement 
        Officers Killed and Assaulted Data Collection that occur 
        through the coordinated actions of 2 or more parties;
          (3) a description of the Federal response to ambushes and 
        violent attacks on Federal law enforcement officers;
          (4) a detailed survey of what State and local responses are 
        to ambushes and violent attacks on State and local law 
        enforcement officers;
          (5) recommendations for improving State, local, and Federal 
        responses to ambushes and violent attacks on law enforcement 
        officers;
          (6) a detailed survey of Federal and State-based training 
        programs that law enforcement officers receive in preparation 
        for violent attacks, including ambush attacks;
          (7) an analysis of the effectiveness of the programs 
        described in paragraph (6) in preparing law enforcement 
        officers for violent attacks, including ambush attacks;
          (8) recommendations on how to improve State, local, and 
        Federal training programs for law enforcement officers relating 
        to ambush attacks;
          (9) an analysis of, with respect to the Patrick Leahy 
        Bulletproof Vest Partnership under part Y of title I of the 
        Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
        10530 et seq.)--
                  (A) the efficacy of the Partnership in distributing 
                protective gear to law enforcement officers across the 
                United States, including any location-specific 
                limitations to the distribution under such Partnership; 
                and
                  (B) the general limitations of the Partnership, 
                including any location-specific limitations to the 
                distributions under the Partnership, considering the 
                fact that law enforcement officers are suffering from 
                ambush attacks;
          (10) an analysis of the ability of the Department of Justice 
        to combine the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted 
        Data Collection and a 09C Justifiable Homicide report for 
        officer-involved shooting reports and any roadblocks to 
        producing a clear report with such information;
          (11) an analysis of the ability of the Criminal Justice 
        Information Services of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to 
        expand data collection to include a suspect offender's level of 
        injury at the time of a reported Law Enforcement Officers 
        Killed and Assaulted Data Collection incident;
          (12) an analysis of the existence and extent of, and reasons 
        for, disparities in the availability and reporting of data 
        between--
                  (A) data relating to ambush attacks against law 
                enforcement officers; and
                  (B) other types of violent crime data; and
          (13) an analysis of any additional legislative tools or 
        authorities that may be helpful or necessary to assist in 
        deterring ambush attacks against law enforcement officers.
  (b) Development.--In developing the report required under subsection 
(a), the Attorney General, the Director of the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, the Director of the National Institute of Justice, and 
the Director of the Criminal Justice Information Services Division of 
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall consult relevant 
stakeholders, including--
          (1) Federal, State, Tribal, and local law enforcement 
        agencies; and
          (2) nongovernmental organizations, international 
        organizations, academies, or other entities.

SEC. 4. AGGRESSION AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS REPORTING 
                    REQUIREMENT.

  (a) In General.--Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of 
the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Director of the National 
Institute of Justice, shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of 
the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
Representatives a report on--
          (1) an analysis of the ability to implement a new category in 
        the Uniform Crime Reporting System and the National Incident-
        Based Reporting System on aggressive actions, conduct, or other 
        trauma-inducing incidents against law enforcement officers 
        that, as of the date of enactment of this Act, are not reported 
        in such systems;
          (2) the level of detail the category described in paragraph 
        (1) would include and the standard of evidence that would be 
        used for any reported incidents;
          (3) an analysis of how to engage State and local law 
        enforcement agencies in reporting the data described in 
        paragraph (1), despite the fact that such data is beyond the 
        standard crime-based reporting to the systems described in 
        paragraph (1);
          (4) an analysis of potential uses by the Department of 
        Justice and any component agencies of the Department of Justice 
        of the data described in paragraph (1);
          (5) an analysis of the existence and extent of, and reasons 
        for, disparities in the availability and reporting of data 
        between--
                  (A) data relating to aggressive actions or other 
                trauma-inducing incidents against law enforcement 
                officers that do not rise to the level of crimes; and
                  (B) other types of violent crime data; and
          (6) an analysis of additional legislative tools or 
        authorities that may be helpful or necessary to assist in 
        deterring aggressive actions, conduct, or other trauma-inducing 
        incidents against law enforcement officers.
  (b) Development.--In developing the report under subsection (a), the 
Attorney General, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 
and the Director of the National Institute of Justice shall consult 
relevant stakeholders, including--
          (1) Federal, State, Tribal, and local law enforcement 
        agencies; and
          (2) nongovernmental organizations, international 
        organizations, academies, or other entities.

SEC. 5. MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

  (a) In General.--Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of 
the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Director of the National 
Institute of Justice, shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of 
the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
Representatives a report on--
          (1) the types, frequency, and severity of mental health and 
        stress-related responses of law enforcement officers to 
        aggressive actions or other trauma-inducing incidents against 
        law enforcement officers;
          (2) mental health and stress-related resources or programs 
        that are available to law enforcement officers at the Federal, 
        State, and local levels, especially peer-to-peer programs;
          (3) the extent to which law enforcement officers use the 
        resources or programs described in paragraph (2);
          (4) the availability of, or need for, mental health screening 
        within Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies; and
          (5) additional legislative tools or authorities that may be 
        helpful or necessary to assist in assessing, monitoring, and 
        improving the mental health and wellness of Federal, State, and 
        local law enforcement officers.
  (b) Development.--In developing the report required under subsection 
(a), the Attorney General, the Director of the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, and the Director of the National Institute of Justice 
shall consult relevant stakeholders, including--
          (1) Federal, State, Tribal and local law enforcement 
        agencies; and
          (2) nongovernmental organizations, international 
        organizations, academies, or other entities.

                          Purpose and Summary

    H.R. 7581, the Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and 
Wellness Through Data Act, introduced by Rep. Dan Bishop (R-
NC), would fill gaps in the reporting of attacks targeting law 
enforcement officers. The bill requires the Attorney General to 
develop a series of reports related to violent attacks on law 
enforcement officers, the efficacy of current data collection 
related to violent attacks on law enforcement officers, and the 
efficacy of programs intended to provide protective equipment 
and wellness resources to law enforcement officers.

                Background and Need for the Legislation


Democrat-run Cities Defunded Their Police

    Due to the radical left's ``defund the police'' movement, 
Democrat-run cities across the United States reduced funding 
for police departments, which left their cities without an 
adequate law enforcement presence to address the surge in 
violent crime.\1\ Los Angeles reduced its police department's 
budget by $150 million.\2\ New York City made cuts amounting to 
$1 billion from the New York Police Department (NYPD).\3\ 
Chicago's then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot approved a decrease of 
approximately $80 million for the Chicago Police Department 
budget.\4\ In 2021, Washington, D.C. slashed the Metropolitan 
Police Department (MPD) budget by roughly $15 million.\5\ The 
subsequent years unsurprisingly saw a significant uptick in 
violent crime in these cities, which can be attributed to these 
decisions to defund law enforcement.\6\
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    \1\Rep. Clay Higgins, Democrats' push to defund police caused crime 
to spike, Wash. Examiner (Jun. 22, 2022).
    \2\Audrey Conklin, LA `Defund' Police Budget Cuts Force Department 
to Dissolve Sexual Assault Unit that Investigated Weinstein, Fox News 
(Nov. 12, 2020).
    \3\Scottie Andrew and Kristina Sgueglia, New York Police 
Department's budget has been slashed by $1 billion, CNN (July 1, 2020).
    \4\After caving to the defund movement in 2020, Chicago Mayor 
Lightfoot proposes more police funding as crime continues to spiral, 
The National Police Support Fund (Oct. 21, 2021).
    \5\Eric Flack, Verify: Did DC `Defund the Police?', Wash. Post 
(Apr. 20, 2021).
    \6\Higgins, supra note 1.
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    According to the Major City Chiefs Association (MCCA), the 
spike in violent crime in 2020 worsened in 2021. The MCCA 
reported that violent crime in the majority of big cities 
across the U.S. remains high compared to 2019, with homicides 
in the U.S. increasing by over 36 percent.\7\ Out of the 70 
cities included in MCCA's data, 69 cities saw increases in at 
least one category of violent crimes in 2021, which include 
homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\Press Release, Major Cities Chiefs Association, MCCA Releases 
Violent Crime Report (Feb. 10, 2022).
    \8\Major Cities Chiefs Association, Violent Crime Survey--Agency 
Totals (2020-2021), https://majorcitieschiefs.com/wp-content/uploads/
2022/02/MCCA-Violent-Crime-Report-2021-and-2020-Year-End.pdf.
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    After this spike in crime, some Democrats refused to 
acknowledge their own policy failures and instead blamed 
firearms, economic downturns, and perceived deficiencies in 
federal law enforcement support.\9\ For example, Chicago Mayor 
Lightfoot reached out to Attorney General Merrick Garland, 
pushing for an increase in Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms 
& Explosives (ATF) agents in Chicago to address illegal 
firearms.\10\ The Chicago Police Department would have been 
best situated to address elevated levels of violent crime in 
Chicago if Mayor Lightfoot had worked to increase funding for 
the department instead of cutting its funding by approximately 
$80 million.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \9\Alec Schemmel, Mayor who pushed to defund police by $80M pleads 
with feds to help with rampant crime, Fox 17 Nashville (Dec. 22, 2021).
    \10\Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    However, some Democrats realized the effects of their 
catastrophic decisions and reversed course. For example, San 
Francisco Mayor London Breed initially diverted $120 million 
from the police budget towards social initiatives, only to 
recalibrate her approach in light of rising crime and committed 
to strengthen the police force and counter the criminal 
elements in the city.\11\ Within three years, almost all large 
Democrat-led cities reversed course on their decision to defund 
law enforcement and augmented their police department budgets, 
with many Democrats stepping away from the ``defund the 
police'' narrative altogether.\12\ In 2023 after Washington, 
D.C., experienced its deadliest year in more than 20 years,\13\ 
Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed legislation to reverse many of the 
anti-police reforms.\14\ The legislation also sought to target 
organized retail crime as well as the issue of open-air drug 
markets in the District.\15\ Mayor Bowser admitted the original 
police reform legislation did not ``match the daily practice of 
safe and effective policing.''\16\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \11\Id.
    \12\Id.
    \13\Emily Davies, John D. Harden and Peter Hermann, 2023 was 
District's deadliest year in more than two decades The Washington Post 
(Jan. 1, 2024), https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/interactive/
2024/dc-crime-homicide-victims-shooting-violence/.
    \14\Melissa Koenig, DC mayor proposes rolling back progressive 
police reforms amid spike in violent crimes N.Y. Post (Oct. 24, 2023), 
https://nypost.com/2023/10/24/news/dc-mayor-proposes-rolling-back-
progressive-police-reforms/.
    \15\Id.
    \16\Id.
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Rogue Prosecutors Refusing to Enforce the Law

    Another significant reason for the increase in crime over 
the past several years is the prevalence of rogue prosecutors 
who prioritize radical left-wing initiatives over public 
safety. Dozens of these rogue prosecutors owe their election 
victories, in large part, to far-left political action 
committees.\17\ These rogue prosecutors made left-wing 
initiatives more important than public safety. Their goal is to 
fundamentally change the criminal justice system by replacing 
both Republican and Democrat law-and-order prosecutors with 
pro-criminal, anti-victim extremists who ignore the law, abuse 
their offices, and allow crime to rise in their 
jurisdictions.\18\ These prosecutors generally fail to charge 
criminals, or permit criminals to be charged on low-level 
crimes, allowing them to return to communities to reoffend.
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    \17\Zack Smith and Charles Stimson, Meet Chesa Boudin, the Rogue 
Prosecutor Wreaking Havoc in San Francisco, The Heritage Foundation 
(Aug.11, 2021) https://www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/commentary/
meet-chesa-boudin-the-rogue-prosecutor-wreaking-havoc-san-franc isco.
    \18\Id.
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Police Recruitment Crisis

    Police departments across the country are experiencing 
significant recruitment challenges, as officers have been 
leaving the force in droves. In 2023, the San Francisco Police 
Department was down over 600 officers compared to 2020, 
approximately thirty percent of the department.\19\ The MPD in 
Washington, D.C., has the lowest number of officers it has had 
in the past fifty years.\20\ Since 2019, the Chicago force has 
lost 3,300 officers, and as of October 2022, it had only 
replaced roughly half of those departures.\21\ As of March 
2023, there were 1,500 vacancies within the Chicago Police 
Department.\22\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \19\Robert Klemko, Police agencies are desparate to hire. But they 
say few want the job., Wash. Post (May 27, 2023), https://
www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/05/27/police-vacan
cies-hiring-recruiting-reform/.
    \20\Id.
    \21\Elliott Ramos et al., Chicago Police Department Struggles as 
Burnt-Out Cops Quit, With Some Heading to Suburbs, CBS News Chi. (Oct. 
11, 2022).
    \22\Glenn Minnis, With 1,500 Vacancies, Chicago Police Ramp Up 
Recruiting Efforts, The Center Square (Mar. 28, 2023).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In an effort to hire more law enforcement officers, police 
departments have ``expanded the geographic area from which they 
draw recruits, offered hiring bonuses and multiyear contracts, 
beefed up recruiting efforts, decreased onboarding obstacles 
and adjusted admission requirements.''\23\ For example, D.C.'s 
MPD is offering a $25,000 hiring bonuses for new MPD 
recruits.\24\ On March 2, 2024, the City of Dunwoody, Georgia 
announced it is increasing its hiring bonuses for new recruits 
to $15,000.\25\ Alameda County, California, just outside San 
Francisco, is offering a $75,000 recruitment bonus that will be 
paid out installments over several years.\26\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \23\Id.
    \24\Press Release, Government of the District of Columbia, Mayor 
Bowser Announces Increase in Hiring Bonuses for New MPD Recruits, 
https://mayor.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-announces-increase-hiring-
bonuses-new-mpd-recruits (last visited Mar. 7, 2024).
    \25\WSB Staff, Dunwoody increases hiring bonuses for new police 
recruits to $15,000, WSB Atlanta (Mar. 2, 2024), https://www.msn.com/
en-us/news/crime/dunwoody-increases-hiring-bonu ses-for-new-police-
recruits-to-15000/ar-BB1jbUxq.
    \26\CBS Staff, Police departments offering bonuses, incentives to 
new recruits and experienced officers to fill Bay Area openings, CBS 
News (Sep. 26, 2023), https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/essentials/
police-recruiting-bonuses-bay-area-officers-incentives/.
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Escalating Attacks on Law Enforcement Officers

    The effects of defunding the police, electing rogue 
prosecutors, and leftist criminal justice policies can all be 
seen through the continuous attacks on police officers. In 
2022, 328 officers were shot in the line of duty,\27\ there 
were 88 ambush-style attacks against police officers, and 31 of 
those officers lost their lives.\28\ When those statistics were 
released, Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal 
Order of Police (FOP) described 2022 ``one of the most 
dangerous years for law enforcement in recent history due to 
the increase of violence directed towards law enforcement 
officers . . . .''\29\ In 2023, 378 officers were shot in the 
line of duty, with 115 ambush-style attacks,\30\ and 20 
officers lost their lives because of these attacks.\31\ FOP 
President Yoes grimly reported:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \27\Press Release, National Fraternal Order of Police, Updated 29 
December: One of the Most Dangerous Years for Law Enforcement, https://
fop.net/2022/12/updated-29-december-one-of-the-most-dangerous-years-
for-law-enforcement/ (last visited Apr. 10, 2024).
    \28\Id.
    \29\Id.
    \30\Press Release, National Fraternal Order of Police, 378 Officers 
Shot in the Line of Duty in 2023, https://fop.net/2024/01/378-officers-
shot-in-the-line-of-duty-in-2023/ (last visited Apr. 11, 2024).
    \31\Id.

          Last year, over 330 police officers were shot in the 
        line of duty. With the COVID-19 pandemic behind us and 
        after so many Americans have seen the tragic 
        consequences of the defund the police movement, it was 
        our hope that these numbers would be a high-water mark. 
        We were wrong. Instead, 378 officers were shot in the 
        line of duty in 2023, the highest number the FOP has 
        ever recorded.\32\
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    \32\Id.
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Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act

    Currently, basic information on attacks on law enforcement 
is collected by the FBI's Law Enforcement Officers Killed and 
Assaulted (LEOKA) program.\33\ While the program collects 
information such as the circumstance of the assault and the 
weapon used,\34\ it does not contain information or 
recommendations to help prevent further attacks on law 
enforcement officers. The Improving Law Enforcement Officer 
Safety and Wellness Through Data Act would help to prevent 
attacks by increasing the categories of information that can be 
voluntarily reported, including the intention and coordination 
of criminals.\35\ It would also direct DOJ to examine adding 
additional categories to the Uniform Crime Reporting System 
such as aggressive actions, conduct, or other trauma-inducing 
incidents against law enforcement officers. The bill will also 
provide further transparency on the mental health impacts of 
attacks on law enforcement officers and examine the 
availability and extent of mental health resources for police 
officers.\36\
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    \33\Federal Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Officers 
Assaulted in 2021 (last visited Apr. 11, 2024), https://leb.fbi.gov/
bulletin-highlights/additional-highlights/crime-data-law-enforce ment-
officers-assaulted-in-2021.
    \34\Id.
    \35\Press Release, Senator Chuck Grassley, Grassley, Colleagues 
Reignite Effort to Improve Reporting of Attacks on Law Enforcement, 
https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/gra ssley-
colleagues-reignite-effort-to-improve-reporting-of-attacks-on-law-
enforcement (last accessed April 11, 2024).
    \36\Id.
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                                Hearings

    For the purposes of clause 3(c)(6)(A) of House rule XIII, 
the following hearing was used to develop H.R. 7581: ``Victims 
of Violent Crime in Manhattan'' was held Monday, April 17, 
2023, before the House Committee on the Judiciary. The 
Committee heard from the following witnesses:
           Jose Alba, former Manhattan bodega clerk;
           Madeline Brame, Chairwoman of the Victims 
        Rights Reform Council and mother of a homicide victim;
           Jennifer Harrison, Founder of Victims Rights 
        NY;
           Paul DiGiacomo, President of the New York 
        City's Detectives' Endowment Association;
           Robert F. Holden, New York City Council (D-
        District 30);
           Barry Borgen, father of a victim of 
        antisemitic hate crime;
           Jim Kessler, Co-Founder and Senior Vice 
        President for Policy of Third Way; and
           Rebecca Fischer, Executive Director of New 
        Yorkers Against Gun Violence.
    The hearing examined how Manhattan District Attorney Alvin 
Bragg's pro-crime, anti-victim policies have led to an increase 
in violent crime and a dangerous community for New York City 
residents, including law enforcement officers.
    A related hearing includes ``Victims of Violent Crime in 
the District of Columbia on October 12, 2023, before the 
Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance of 
the House Committee on the Judiciary. The Subcommittee heard 
from the following witnesses:
           Gaynor Jablonski, Washington, D.C. business 
        owner attacked on June 29, 2023, inside of his business 
        in front of his 4-year-old son;
           Charles Stimson, crime control, national 
        security, homeland security, and drug policy expert at 
        the Heritage Foundation, Deputy Director of the Edwin 
        Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies;
           Mitchell Sobolevsky, victim of robbery at 
        gunpoint in Washington, D.C.;
           Greg Pemberton, Metropolitan Police 
        Department Detective, Chairman of the D.C. Police 
        Union;
           Lindsey Appiah, Deputy Mayor for Public 
        Safety and Justice; and
           Myisha Richards, firefighter paramedic, 
        District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical 
        Services Department.
    The hearing examined the rise of violent crime in Democrat-
run Washington, D.C., and the lack of prosecutions and 
prosecutorial accountability.

                        Committee Consideration

    On April 17, 2024, the Committee met in open session and 
ordered the bill, H.R. 7581, favorably reported with an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute by voice vote, a quorum 
being present.

                            Committee Votes

    In compliance with clause 3(b) of House rule XIII, the 
Committee states that no recorded votes were taken during 
consideration of H.R. 7581.

                      Committee Oversight Findings

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of House rule XIII, the 
Committee advises that the findings and recommendations of the 
Committee, based on oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) 
of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, are 
incorporated in the descriptive portions of this report.

               New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures

    Clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives does not apply where a cost estimate and 
comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974 has been timely submitted prior to filing of the report 
and is included in the report. Such a cost estimate is included 
in this report.

               Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

    With respect to the requirement of clause 3(c)(3) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 
402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 
received the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 7581 from the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:




    H.R. 7581 would require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to 
report to the Congress about violent attacks on law enforcement 
officers, including the responses of federal, state, and local 
governments to such attacks and how to improve the reporting of 
those attacks. The bill also would require DOJ to report to the 
Congress on how traumatic incidents affect the mental health 
and wellness of officers.
    Based on the costs of similar reports, CBO estimates that 
implementing H.R. 7581 would cost $3 million over the 2024-2029 
period. Any related spending would be subject to the 
availability of appropriated funds.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Jeremy Crimm. 
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 
Director of Budget Analysis.
                                         Phillip L. Swagel,
                             Director, Congressional Budget Office.

                Committee Estimate of Budgetary Effects

    With respect to the requirements of clause 3(d)(1) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared by the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 
402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

                    Duplication of Federal Programs

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of House rule XIII, no provision 
of H.R. 7581 establishes or reauthorizes a program of the 
federal government known to be duplicative of another federal 
program.

                    Performance Goals and Objectives

    The Committee states that pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of 
House rule XIII, H.R. 7581 requires the Attorney General to 
develop a series of reports related to violent attacks on law 
enforcement officers, the efficacy of current data collection 
related to violent attacks on law enforcement officers, and the 
efficacy of programs intended to provide protective equipment 
and wellness resources to law enforcement officers.

                          Advisory on Earmarks

    In accordance with clause 9 of House rule XXI, H.R. 7581 
does not contain any congressional earmarks, limited tax 
benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clauses 
9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of House rule XXI.

                       Federal Mandates Statement

    The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act.

                      Advisory Committee Statement

    No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) 
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this 
legislation.

                  Applicability to Legislative Branch

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act (Pub. L. 104-
1).

                      Section-by-Section Analysis

    Sec. 1. Short Title: ``Improving Law Enforcement Officer 
Safety and Wellness Through Data Act of 2024''.
    Sec. 2. Findings. Details the continued trend of law 
enforcement attacks and reasserts Congress's commitment to 
helping protect lives of police officers.
    Sec. 3. Attacks on Law Enforcement Officers Reporting 
Requirement. Requires the Attorney General to submit a report 
to Congress that includes: (1) the number of attacks 
intentionally targeting police officers; (2) whether attacks 
occurred through the actions of two or more parties; (3) a 
description of the federal response on attacks against federal 
law enforcement officers; (4) a survey detailing state and 
local responses to attacks; (5) recommendations for improving 
responses to attacks; (6) A survey of training programs 
officers receive in preparation for attacks; (7) an analysis of 
the above programs; (8) recommendations on improving the above 
programs; (9) an analysis of the efficacy of distributing 
protective gear and any limitations that exist; (10) an 
analysis of DOJ's ability to expand data collection to the 
suspect offender's level of injury; (12) an analysis of any 
existence of disparities in reporting; and (13) an analysis of 
any additional legislative tools or authorities helpful to 
deter ambush attacks. It also requires the Attorney General and 
others to consult with relevant stakeholders, including law 
enforcement agencies, nongovernment organizations, and others.
    Sec. 4. Aggression Against Law Enforcement Officers 
Reporting Requirement. Requires the Attorney General to submit 
to Congress a report analyzing the ability to implement a new 
category of reporting in the Uniform Crime Reporting System and 
the National Incident-Based Reporting System, how to engage 
state and local law enforcement agencies in reporting the data, 
any disparities, and additional legislative tools or 
authorities helpful in deterring aggressive actions.
    Sec. 5. Mental Health and Wellness Reporting Requirement. 
Requires the Attorney General to report to Congress on the type 
of mental health and stress-responses of law enforcement 
officers to aggressive attacks, the programs available, the use 
of those programs, and any additional tools needed to improve 
mental health and wellness.

                            Dissenting Views

    H.R. 7581, the ``Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety 
and Wellness Through Data Act,'' will not result in the 
collection of any new information about law enforcement. It 
merely mandates reporting from the Attorney General based on 
data collected by state, local, and tribal law enforcement 
agencies. The report itself is entirely duplicative of existing 
reporting requirements. This legislation falls far short of 
meaningful progress on officer safety and represents an 
enormous step backwards from legislation offered by the 
Democratic majority in the 117th Congress.

                             I. BACKGROUND

    This legislation would require the Attorney General, in 
consultation with other federal officials and stakeholders, to 
report on attacks on law enforcement officers, aggression 
against officers that falls below the level of an attack, and 
officer mental health. The bill refers to several existing 
reporting requirements and federal programs, explained below.
    The FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program collects 
data from more than 18,000 city, university and college, 
county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies. 
Agencies participate voluntarily and submit their crime data 
either through a state UCR program or directly to the FBI's UCR 
Program.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\FBI, Crime/Law Enforcement Stats (Uniform Crime Reporting 
Program), FBI.gov, https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/more-fbi-
services-and-information/ucr, (last visited May 8, 2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The FBI annually publishes a report, Law Enforcement 
Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA), to provide information 
about officers who were killed, intentionally or accidentally, 
and officers who were assaulted while performing their duties. 
The FBI collects these data through the UCR LEOKA data 
collection.\2\ Line-of-duty officer deaths have been collected 
and published annually since 1937. In 1971, in response to 
calls from law enforcement executives, the UCR expanded its 
collection of LEOKA data to include greater detail that could 
aid the FBI in preventing and investigating officer deaths.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\FBI, About LEOKA, FBI: UCR, https://ucr.fbi.gov/leoka/2019/
resource-pages/about-leoka. (last visited May 8, 2024).
    \3\Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The FBI also collects crime data through the National 
Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). NIBRS was implemented 
to improve the overall quality of crime data collected by law 
enforcement and includes detailed information on victims, known 
offenders, relationships between victims and offenders, 
arrestees, and property involved in crimes.\4\ Beginning in 
January 2021, the UCR Program ended data collection through the 
Summary Reporting System (an aggregate of monthly tallies of 
crimes) so that it could encourage the full participation of 
law enforcement reporting through NIBRS, which would improve 
the detail of crime data available to the FBI.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \4\FBI, National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), FBI.gov, 
https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/more-fbi-services-and-
information/ucr/nibrs, (last visited May 8, 2024).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The bill refers to ``09C Justifiable Homicide'' reporting, 
a category of reporting in NIBRS. When a law enforcement agency 
reports an 09C Justifiable Homicide, the agency is asked to 
further provide whether the incident was a ``criminal killed by 
[a] private citizen'' or a ``criminal killed by [a] police 
officer.''\5\ The agency is also asked to include whether the 
incident involved ``(A) Criminal Attacked Police Officer and 
That Officer Killed Criminal, (B) Criminal Attacked Police 
Officer and Criminal Killed by Another Police Officer, (C) 
Criminal Attacked a Civilian, (D) Criminal Attempted Flight 
from a Crime, (E) Criminal Killed in Commission of a Crime, (F) 
Criminal Resisted Arrest, (G) Unable to Determine/Not Enough 
Information.''\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \5\Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Data Declaration: Justifiable 
Homicide by Aggravated Assault/Homicide Circumstance (2012) available 
at https://ucr.fbi.gov/nibrs/2012/data-declarati
ons/data-declaration-justifiable-homicide-circumstance-by-aggravated-
assault-homicide-circumsta nce-2012.
    \6\Id.
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                              II. CONCERNS

    This legislation is unlikely to provide any meaningful 
improvements to officer safety or mental health because it only 
requires reporting from the Attorney General and fails to build 
on the work of President Biden, the Attorney General, and past 
Congresses to improve officer safety and mental health.
    While the collection of accurate law enforcement data is 
important, this bill is unlikely to provide new information. By 
necessity, data about incidents of violence against law 
enforcement officers must be initially collected and reported, 
if at all, by tribal, state, and local authorities who would 
know about these incidents, not the Attorney General. The 
federal government collects this data through tribal, state, 
and local participation in voluntary data reporting programs 
like those described above. But nothing in this bill provides 
any resources for more agencies to participate in those data 
collections, nor does it mandate any kind of reporting by those 
agencies. Given that there is nothing in the bill to expand the 
underlying body of data that is available to the Attorney 
General and others, it is unlikely that the reporting required 
by the bill will be able to deliver any new insights that might 
improve officer safety. By contrast, the George Floyd Justice 
in Policing Act, which passed the House in the 117th Congress, 
would provide new data because it would condition the receipt 
of Byrne grants on the reporting of certain incidents and would 
support data collection and reporting through additional grants 
to reporting agencies.
    This legislation also fails to add any reporting 
requirements related to incidents in which law enforcement 
officers use force against civilians. Unlike data on officer 
deaths, the FBI has only collected nationwide data on law 
enforcement use-of-force incidents since 2019.\7\ As the FBI 
notes that, ``National Use-of-Force Data Collection offers big-
picture insights, rather than information on specific 
incidents. The collection does not assess or report whether 
officers followed their department's policy or acted 
lawfully.''\8\ The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would 
substantially improve data collection on both attacks on law 
enforcement and law enforcement use-of-force so that we would 
have nationwide data that accurately portrays violent 
interactions between law enforcement and the public, regardless 
of who was targeted in the incident.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\FBI, National Use of Force Data Collection, FBI.gov, https://
www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/more-fbi-services-and-information/ucr/
use-of-force, (last visited May 8, 2024).
    \8\Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The mental health reporting provisions of the bill are also 
unlikely to improve officer wellness because they fail to build 
on the work of past Congresses and the Biden Administration 
regarding those issues. In the 115th Congress, we passed the 
Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, a bipartisan, 
bicameral bill signed into law by President Obama, which 
directed the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans 
Affairs, and DOJ's Office of Community Oriented Policing 
Services to report on mental health practices and services that 
could be adopted by law enforcement and the programs already 
available to them. It also expanded the availability of grant 
funds for law enforcement mental health and developed new 
educational resources. Building on this work, President Biden 
issued a 2022 Executive Order on Advancing Effective, 
Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance 
Public Trust and Public Safety.\9\ This executive order 
required the Attorney General to develop and publish a report 
on best practices to address law enforcement officer wellness 
and to make recommendations regarding the prevention of death 
by suicide of law enforcement officers. The Attorney General 
has already complied with this executive order, so we already 
know much more about the mental health resources and needs of 
law enforcement than would be gained through this legislation. 
Rather than retread our steps, we should be moving forward to 
help our law enforcement agencies implement the important work 
done by the Administration so that more officers can access the 
support they need.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \9\Executive Order 14074: Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing 
and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public 
Safety, May 25, 2022. Federal Register, vol. 87, pp 32945-32963.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    When examined critically, it is clear this legislation is 
pure messaging, designed to support a Republican narrative that 
emphasizes fear and lawlessness and feigns support for the 
welfare of law enforcement officers, while failing to actually 
invest in them. The legislation notably omits the fact that 
crime is rapidly declining, in part due to the efforts of law 
enforcement and support from the federal government, because 
that does not fit with this narrative. The bill also makes 
findings about attacks and ambushes faced by law enforcement 
while failing to mention that President Trump incited an 
insurrection in which over 140 law enforcement officers were 
attacked while bravely defending the Capitol, Congress, and our 
democracy. The vast majority of House Republicans have refused 
to condemn then-President Trump or those who participated in 
the violent attacks on law enforcement on January 6, 2021.

                            III. CONCLUSION

    Nothing in this bill makes a single police officer safer or 
invests a single dollar in officer wellness. By contrast, last 
Congress, Democrats passed numerous bipartisan bills that 
improved law enforcement officer safety and wellness like the 
Protecting America's First Responders Act, including the Public 
Safety Officer Support Act, the Confidentiality Opportunities 
for Peer Support (COPS) Counseling Act, and the Law Enforcement 
De-Escalation Training Act. But this Congress, House 
Republicans are refusing to follow suit, instead offering this 
bill that merely sounds helpful, but isn't.
    Further, nothing in this bill improves or provides 
additional data collection. This legislation falls far short of 
the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would require 
the reporting of uses of force by or against a law enforcement 
officers as a condition of the receipt of certain grants and 
would invest in better data collection and reporting.
    Right now, at least seven bipartisan law enforcement bills, 
many led by Republicans, have been passed by the Democratic-led 
Senate and are awaiting consideration in the House. These are 
bills that would actually improve the welfare of law 
enforcement officers and are priorities for the groups who 
represent them. But, so far, House Republicans have only 
advanced one of these bills. While House Republicans continue 
to prioritize messaging over meaningful legislation, Democrats 
will continue to work with law enforcement organizations on 
substantive proposals.
    For these reasons, I dissent, and I urge all of my 
colleagues to oppose this legislation.
                                            Jerrold Nadler,
                                                    Ranking Member.