What This Bill Does
This bill orders the Attorney General to create a grant program that gives money to local, state and tribal governments. The goal is to have civilians or technology enforce traffic violations instead of police officers. The program is called the Investing in Safer Traffic Stops Act of 2023.
Who It Affects
Local government entities, state government entities, tribal government entities and the Attorney General's office.
Key Provisions
• The Attorney General must establish the grant program within 180 days after the bill becomes law. (Sec. 2(a))
• Local, state and tribal governments can receive grants under this program. (Sec. 2(b))
• Grant money can only be used to ensure traffic violations are enforced by civilians or traffic monitoring technology instead of law enforcement officers, including buying technology and hiring civilians. (Sec. 2(c))
• $100,000,000 can be spent each year from 2024 through 2029 to run the program. (Sec. 2(d))
What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the Attorney General will create a new grant program to fund civilian-led and technology-based traffic enforcement in local, state and tribal governments.
Important Definitions
A "civilian" means someone employed by a local, state or tribal government to enforce traffic laws who is not a law enforcement officer. (Sec. 2(e))
Effective Date
The Attorney General has 180 days after the bill becomes law to establish the program. Not specified in bill text when the bill itself takes effect.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 852
To direct the Attorney General to establish a grant program for civilian
traffic violation enforcement.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 6, 2023
Mr. TORRES of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To direct the Attorney General to establish a grant program
for civilian traffic violation enforcement.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Investing in Safer
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Traffic Stops Act of 2023’’.
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SEC. 2. GRANT FOR CIVILIAN TRAFFIC VIOLATION EN-
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FORCEMENT.
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(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after
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the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney Gen-
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•HR 852 IH
eral shall establish a civilian traffic violation enforcement
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grant program (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Program’’)
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to provide funding to local, State, or Tribal government
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entities to ensure that the enforcement of traffic violations
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is carried out by a civilian or traffic monitoring tech-
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nology, instead of a law enforcement officer.
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(b) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—The Attorney General
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shall make grants under the Program to local, State, or
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Tribal government entities.
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(c) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—Amounts from a grant
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awarded under the Program may only be used for the pur-
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poses of ensuring that the enforcement of traffic violations
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is carried out by a civilian or traffic monitoring tech-
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nology, including for the purchasing of such technology
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and the hiring of civilians.
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(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
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authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for each of
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the fiscal years 2024 through 2029 to carry out the Pro-
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gram.
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(e) CIVILIAN DEFINED.—In this Act, the term ‘‘civil-
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ian’’ means an individual employed by a local, State, or
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Tribal government entity to enforce traffic laws, who is
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not a law enforcement officer.
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