[118th Congress Public Law 64]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 138 STAT. 1435]]

Public Law 118-64
118th Congress

                                 An Act


 
   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. <<NOTE: May 24, 2024 -  [S. 546]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Recruit and 
Retain Act.>> 
SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 34 USC 10101 note.>>  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.

[[Page 138 STAT. 1436]]

                    ``(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) <<NOTE: Deadline.>>  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.''.

[[Page 138 STAT. 1437]]

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) <<NOTE: Recommenda- tions.>> 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) <<NOTE: Survey.>>  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) <<NOTE: Public information. Web posting.>>  make the 
        report submitted under paragraph (1) publicly available online.

[[Page 138 STAT. 1437]]

    (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.

    Approved May 24, 2024.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 546 (H.R. 3325):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 118-481 (Comm. on the Judiciary) accompanying H.R. 
3325.
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
                                                        Vol. 169 (2023):
                                    July 26, considered and passed 
                                        Senate.
                                                        Vol. 170 (2024):
                                    May 14, considered and passed House.

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