Federal

Recruit and Retain Act

Source: Congress.gov · 1,243 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill changes how police departments can use federal grant money called COPS grants (a federal grant program created under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968). The bill allows law enforcement agencies to use these grants to pay for recruitment activities and reduces costs for police hiring. It also requires a study on why police officers leave their jobs and why people stop applying to become police officers.

Who It Affects

Law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, tribal and local levels. Educational institutions that partner with police departments, including elementary schools, high schools, colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, and tribal colleges. The general public through the study on police recruitment and retention.

Key Provisions

• Law enforcement agencies can use COPS grant money to reduce hiring-related fees like background checks, psychological evaluations and testing costs for people applying to become police officers. (Sec. 2) • No more than 2 percent of a COPS grant for hiring police officers can be spent on costs to manage the grant itself. (Sec. 3) • The U.S. Attorney General will award competitive grants to police departments partnering with schools or colleges to run recruitment programs that engage students in exploring law enforcement careers, strengthen recruitment in departments with fewer applicants, and improve community relationships between youth and police. (Sec. 4) • The Attorney General must create clear procedures within 180 days so police departments operating below their full staffing level can still apply for and receive COPS grants. (Sec. 5) • The Comptroller General of the United States (the head of an independent federal agency that investigates government spending) must study why police officers join, resign from and retire from law enforcement agencies and report findings to Congress and the public within 540 days. (Sec. 6)

What Changes

Federal grant money for police hiring can now pay for recruitment fee reductions, which it could not do before. Police departments operating below full staffing can more easily access these grants. Up to 3 million dollars per year can be used for partnerships between law enforcement agencies and schools to recruit young people into police careers. The federal government will conduct and publish a comprehensive study on police recruitment and retention issues.

Important Definitions

• Budgeted strength: The maximum number of sworn law enforcement officers (police with arrest authority) that a police department's budget allows it to employ. • Eligible entity: A law enforcement agency working with at least one educational institution like an elementary school, high school, college, Hispanic-serving institution, historically Black college or university, or tribal college. • Covered applicant: A police department applying for a hiring grant and currently operating below its budgeted strength.

138 STAT. 1435 PUBLIC LAW 118–64—MAY 24, 2024 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. 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 para- graphs (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 sub- sections (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. 34 USC 10101 note. Recruit and Retain Act. May 24, 2024 [S. 546] VerDate Sep 11 2014 09:06 May 31, 2024 Jkt 049139 PO 00064 Frm 00001 Fmt 6580 Sfmt 6581 E:\PUBLAW\PUBL064.118 PUBL064 whamilton on LAP1Z6H6L3PROD with PUBLAW 138 STAT. 1436 PUBLIC LAW 118–64—MAY 24, 2024 ‘‘(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 competi- tive 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 agen- cies 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 dedi- cated programming for students, work-based learning opportunities, project-based learning, mentoring, commu- nity liaisons, career or job fairs, work site visits, job shad- owing, 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 AGEN- CIES.— ‘‘(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 enforce- ment 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.’’. Deadline. VerDate Sep 11 2014 09:06 May 31, 2024 Jkt 049139 PO 00064 Frm 00002 Fmt 6580 Sfmt 6581 E:\PUBLAW\PUBL064.118 PUBL064 whamilton on LAP1Z6H6L3PROD with PUBLAW 138 STAT. 1437 PUBLIC LAW 118–64—MAY 24, 2024 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 Fed- eral, State, and local law enforcement officers; and (F) recommendations for potential ways to address bar- riers 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 represen- tation 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 enact- ment 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 Representa- tives a report containing the study conducted under subsection (a); and (2) make the report submitted under paragraph (1) publicly available online. Public information. Web posting. Survey. Recommenda- tions. VerDate Sep 11 2014 09:06 May 31, 2024 Jkt 049139 PO 00064 Frm 00003 Fmt 6580 Sfmt 6581 E:\PUBLAW\PUBL064.118 PUBL064 whamilton on LAP1Z6H6L3PROD with PUBLAW 138 STAT. 1438 PUBLIC LAW 118–64—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. Æ (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. VerDate Sep 11 2014 09:06 May 31, 2024 Jkt 049139 PO 00064 Frm 00004 Fmt 6580 Sfmt 6580 E:\PUBLAW\PUBL064.118 PUBL064 whamilton on LAP1Z6H6L3PROD with PUBLAW

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