Federal

Strong Communities Act of 2023

Source: Congress.gov · 774 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill allows the Attorney General to give grants (money awards) to local police departments so officers and new recruits can attend police training programs. Officers and recruits who receive this money must promise to work in their local communities for at least 4 years.

Who It Affects

Local police departments and agencies, police officers and recruits attending training programs, colleges and universities that offer police training, and the Attorney General's office.

Key Provisions

• The Attorney General can give competitive grants (money awards where agencies compete for funding) to local law enforcement agencies to pay for officers and recruits to attend training programs starting in 2023. (Sec. 2(2)) • Officers and recruits receiving grant money must work full-time as police officers for at least 4 years during an 8-year period after completing their training. (Sec. 2(3)(A)) • Police officers and recruits must serve in a police agency located either within 7 miles of their home (if they lived there 5+ years) or within 20 miles if they live in a county with fewer than 150,000 residents. (Sec. 2(3)(B)) • If an officer or recruit does not complete their required service time, they must repay all benefits they received through the grant. (Sec. 2(4)(A)) • The Attorney General will make rules that allow officers or recruits to be excused from repayment in special circumstances. (Sec. 2(4)(B))

What Changes

Police departments will be able to use federal grant money to send officers and recruits to training schools if those officers and recruits agree to work in their home communities.

Important Definitions

"Local law enforcement agency" means a police department or agency run by a state, local government, or Indian Tribe that is legally allowed to prevent, detect, investigate, or prosecute crimes. "Eligible entity" means a college or university offering police training in partnership with a police department, or a police department that offers its own training program.

118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 994 AN ACT To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide that COPS grant funds may be used for local law enforcement recruits to attend schools or academies if the recruits agree to serve in precincts of law enforcement agencies in their commu- nities. 2 † S 994 ES Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strong Communities 4 Act of 2023’’. 5 SEC. 2. STRONG COMMUNITIES PROGRAM. 6 Section 1701 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 7 and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amend- 8 ed by adding at the end the following: 9 ‘‘(o) COPS STRONG COMMUNITIES PROGRAM.— 10 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 11 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi- 12 ble entity’ means— 13 ‘‘(i) an institution of higher education, 14 as defined in section 101 of the Higher 15 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), 16 that, in coordination or through an agree- 17 ment with a local law enforcement agency, 18 offers a law enforcement training program; 19 or 20 ‘‘(ii) a local law enforcement agency 21 that offers a law enforcement training pro- 22 gram. 23 ‘‘(B) LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN- 24 CY.—The term ‘local law enforcement agency’ 25 3 † S 994 ES means an agency of a State, unit of local gov- 1 ernment, or Indian Tribe that is authorized by 2 law or by a government agency to engage in or 3 supervise the prevention, detection, investiga- 4 tion, or prosecution of any violation of criminal 5 law. 6 ‘‘(2) GRANTS.—The Attorney General may use 7 amounts otherwise appropriated to carry out this 8 section for a fiscal year (beginning with fiscal year 9 2023) to make competitive grants to local law en- 10 forcement agencies to be used for officers and re- 11 cruits to attend law enforcement training programs 12 at eligible entities if the officers and recruits agree 13 to serve in law enforcement agencies in their com- 14 munities. 15 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant 16 through a local law enforcement agency under this 17 subsection, each officer or recruit described in para- 18 graph (2) shall— 19 ‘‘(A) serve as a full-time law enforcement 20 officer for a total of not fewer than 4 years dur- 21 ing the 8-year period beginning on the date on 22 which the officer or recruit completes a law en- 23 forcement training program for which the offi- 24 cer or recruit receives benefits; 25 4 † S 994 ES ‘‘(B) complete the service described in sub- 1 paragraph (A) in a local law enforcement agen- 2 cy located within— 3 ‘‘(i) 7 miles of the residence of the of- 4 ficer or recruit where the officer or recruit 5 has resided for not fewer than 5 years; or 6 ‘‘(ii) if the officer or recruit resides in 7 a county with fewer than 150,000 resi- 8 dents, within 20 miles of the residence of 9 the officer or recruit where the officer or 10 recruit has resided for not fewer than 5 11 years; and 12 ‘‘(C) submit to the eligible entity providing 13 a law enforcement training program to the offi- 14 cer or recruit evidence of employment of the of- 15 ficer or recruit in the form of a certification by 16 the chief administrative officer of the local law 17 enforcement agency where the officer or recruit 18 is employed. 19 ‘‘(4) REPAYMENT.— 20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If an officer or recruit 21 does not complete the service described in para- 22 graph (3), the officer or recruit shall submit to 23 the local law enforcement agency an amount 24 equal to any benefits the officer or recruit re- 25 5 † S 994 ES ceived through the local law enforcement agency 1 under this subsection. 2 ‘‘(B) REGULATIONS.—The Attorney Gen- 3 eral shall promulgate regulations that establish 4 categories of extenuating circumstances under 5 which an officer or recruit may be excused from 6 repayment under subparagraph (A).’’. 7 Passed the Senate July 26, 2023. Attest: Secretary. 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 994 AN ACT To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide that COPS grant funds may be used for local law enforcement re- cruits to attend schools or academies if the re- cruits agree to serve in precincts of law enforce- ment agencies in their communities.

Important: This plain English summary was generated by AI and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Always consult the official bill text on Congress.gov or a qualified attorney for legal matters.