What This Bill Does
This bill sets aside money to help law enforcement agencies hire and rehire police officers. The money is available for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, and stays available until spent.
Who It Affects
Law enforcement agencies that hire or rehire career police officers receive grants under this bill.
Key Provisions
* Money totaling a specific amount is appropriated out of the Treasury for grants to hire and rehire career law enforcement officers (Sec. 2(a))
* Any law enforcement agency using this money to hire or rehire an officer must conduct a background check on that officer (Sec. 2(b)(1)(A))
* Any law enforcement agency using this money to hire or rehire an officer must require that officer to undergo a psychological evaluation (Sec. 2(b)(1)(B))
* Law enforcement agencies must pay for background checks and psychological evaluations using either the money from this bill or their own funds (Sec. 2(b)(2))
* The money provided by this bill is designated as an emergency requirement (Sec. 3)
What Changes
If this bill becomes law, law enforcement agencies will have additional money available to hire or rehire police officers, but they must perform background checks and psychological evaluations on all officers hired or rehired using these funds.
Important Definitions
None defined
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 972
Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the hiring and rehiring
of additional career law enforcement officers for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2023, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 23, 2023
Mr. OSSOFF (for himself and Mrs. BLACKBURN) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations
A BILL
Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the hiring
and rehiring of additional career law enforcement officers
for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, and for
other purposes.
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 ‘‘Filling Public Safety
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Vacancies Act’’.
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SEC. 2. APPROPRIATION.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—There is appropriated, out of
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amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for
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•S 972 IS
the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, to remain
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available until expended, $162,000,000 for additional
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amounts for grants for the hiring and rehiring of addi-
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tional career law enforcement officers under section 1701
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of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets
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Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381).
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(b) BACKGROUND CHECKS
AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
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EVALUATIONS.—A law enforcement agency using amounts
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appropriated under subsection (a) to hire or rehire a law
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enforcement officer—
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(1) shall—
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(A) perform a background check on the
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law enforcement officer; and
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(B) ensure that the law enforcement offi-
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cer undergoes a psychological evaluation; and
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(2) shall use amounts appropriated under sub-
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section (a) or other funds of the law enforcement
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agency to cover the cost of carrying out the require-
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ments under paragraph (1).
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SEC. 3. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—The amounts provided by this Act
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are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to
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section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010
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(2 U.S.C. 933(g)).
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•S 972 IS
(b) DESIGNATION
IN HOUSE
AND SENATE.—The
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amounts provided by this Act are designated as being for
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an emergency requirement pursuant to section 4001(a)(1)
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of S. Con. Res. 14 (117th Congress), the concurrent reso-
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lution on the budget for fiscal year 2022, and section 1(e)
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of H. Res. 1151 (117th Congress), as engrossed in the
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House of Representatives on June 8, 2022.
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Æ
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