Summary
# INVEST TO PROTECT ACT OF 2023 (S. 1144)
## WHAT THIS BILL DOES
This bill creates a grant program to help small local law enforcement agencies pay for officer training and mental health resources. The bill also provides money to help these agencies recruit and keep police officers through signing bonuses and retention bonuses (bonuses for officers who stay on the job).
## WHO IT AFFECTS
- Local law enforcement agencies in counties, municipalities, towns, townships, villages, parishes and boroughs that employ fewer than 175 officers
- Tribal government law enforcement agencies that employ fewer than 175 officers
- Police officers in these agencies
- The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice
- The Attorney General
- Congress
## KEY PROVISIONS
- The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services must award grants to eligible local governments within 120 days after the bill becomes law (Sec. 2(c))
- Eligible local governments can use grant money for de-escalation training (training to calm situations without using force), mental health training, active shooter training, and other safety training for officers (Sec. 2(e))
- Eligible local governments can use grant money to pay signing bonuses for new officers and retention bonuses up to 20 percent of an officer's salary if the officer has worked there at least 5 years and commits to stay 3 more years (Sec. 2(e))
- The Attorney General must submit a plan within 60 days showing how to make grant applications simple enough to complete in 2 hours or less (Sec. 2(d))
- The Justice Department's Inspector General must audit grant recipients each year to prevent waste and fraud, and recipients with unresolved audit problems cannot receive grants for 3 fiscal years (Sec. 2(h))
## WHAT CHANGES
If this becomes law, small local police departments will be able to apply for federal money to train officers in de-escalation and mental health response, provide officers with mental health services, and offer bonuses to recruit and keep police officers. Grant recipients must report back to the federal government about how they use the money. The federal government will audit these grants to make sure money is spent properly.
## IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
- **De-escalation training**: Training that teaches officers to use words or actions (not force) to calm a situation and buy time to bring in more resources before force becomes necessary
- **Eligible local government**: A county, municipality, town, township, village, parish, borough or other local government unit below the state level, or a Tribal government, that employs fewer than 175 law enforcement officers
- **Law enforcement officer**: A career law enforcement officer as defined in a previous federal law from 1968
- **Office**: The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services of the Department of Justice
## EFFECTIVE DATE
Not specified in bill text
118TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
S. 1144
AN ACT
To establish a grant program to provide assistance to local
law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
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† S 1144 ES
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
1
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Invest to Protect Act
2
of 2023’’.
3
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM.
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(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act:
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(1) DE-ESCALATION TRAINING.—The term ‘‘de-
6
escalation training’’ means training relating to tak-
7
ing action or communicating verbally or non-verbally
8
during a potential force encounter in an attempt to
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stabilize the situation and reduce the immediacy of
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the threat so that more time, options, and resources
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can be called upon to resolve the situation without
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the use of force or with a reduction in the force nec-
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essary.
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(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means
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the Director of the Office.
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(3) ELIGIBLE LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The term
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‘‘eligible local government’’ means—
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(A) a county, municipality, town, township,
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village, parish, borough, or other unit of general
20
government below the State level that employs
21
fewer than 175 law enforcement officers; and
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(B) a Tribal government that employs
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fewer than 175 law enforcement officers.
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(4) LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.—The term
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‘‘law enforcement officer’’ has the meaning given the
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† S 1144 ES
term ‘‘career law enforcement officer’’ in section
1
1709 of title I the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
2
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10389).
3
(5) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Of-
4
fice of Community Oriented Policing Services of the
5
Department of Justice.
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(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within
7
the Office a grant program to—
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(1) provide training and access to mental health
9
resources to local law enforcement officers; and
10
(2) improve the recruitment and retention of
11
local law enforcement officers.
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(c) AUTHORITY.—Not later than 120 days after the
13
date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall award
14
grants to eligible local governments as a part of the grant
15
program established under subsection (b).
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(d) APPLICATIONS.—
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(1) BARRIERS.—The Attorney General shall de-
18
termine what barriers exist to establishing a stream-
19
lined application process for grants under this sec-
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tion.
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(2) REPORT.—
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(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days
23
after the date of enactment of this Act, the At-
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torney General shall submit to Congress a re-
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† S 1144 ES
port that includes a plan to execute a stream-
1
lined application process for grants under this
2
section under which an eligible local government
3
seeking a grant under this section can reason-
4
ably complete the application in not more than
5
2 hours.
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(B) CONTENTS OF PLAN.—The plan re-
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quired under subparagraph (A) may include a
8
plan for—
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(i) proactively providing eligible local
10
governments seeking a grant under this
11
section with information on the data eligi-
12
ble local governments will need to prepare
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before beginning the grant application; and
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(ii) ensuring technical assistance is
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available for eligible local governments
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seeking a grant under this section before
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and during the grant application process,
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including through dedicated liaisons within
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the Office.
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(3) APPLICATIONS.—In selecting eligible local
21
governments to receive grants under this section, the
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Director shall use the streamlined application proc-
23
ess described in paragraph (2)(A).
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† S 1144 ES
(e) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible local govern-
1
ment that receives a grant under this section may use
2
amounts from the grant only for—
3
(1) de-escalation training for law enforcement
4
officers;
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(2) victim-centered training for law enforcement
6
officers in handling situations of domestic violence;
7
(3) evidence-based law enforcement safety
8
training for—
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(A) active shooter situations;
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(B) the safe handling of illicit drugs and
11
precursor chemicals;
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(C) rescue situations;
13
(D) recognizing and countering ambush at-
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tacks; or
15
(E) response to calls for service involv-
16
ing—
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(i) persons with mental health needs;
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(ii) persons with substance use dis-
19
orders;
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(iii) veterans;
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(iv) persons with disabilities;
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(v) vulnerable youth;
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† S 1144 ES
(vi) persons who are victims of domes-
1
tic violence, sexual assault, or trafficking;
2
or
3
(vii) persons experiencing homeless-
4
ness or living in poverty;
5
(4) the offsetting of overtime costs associated
6
with scheduling issues relating to the participation
7
of a law enforcement officer in the training de-
8
scribed in paragraphs (1) through (3), (9), and (10);
9
(5) a signing bonus for a law enforcement offi-
10
cer in an amount determined by the eligible local
11
government;
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(6) a retention bonus for a law enforcement of-
13
ficer—
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(A) in an amount determined by the eligi-
15
ble local government that does not exceed 20
16
percent of the salary of the law enforcement of-
17
ficer; and
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(B) who—
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(i) has been employed at the law en-
20
forcement agency for not fewer than 5
21
years;
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(ii) has not been found by an internal
23
investigation to have engaged in serious
24
misconduct; and
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† S 1144 ES
(iii) commits to remain employed by
1
the law enforcement agency for not less
2
than 3 years after the date of receipt of
3
the bonus;
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(7) a stipend for the graduate education of law
5
enforcement officers in the area of mental health,
6
public health, or social work, which shall not exceed
7
the lesser of—
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(A) $10,000; or
9
(B) the amount the law enforcement offi-
10
cer pays towards such graduate education;
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(8) providing access to patient-centered behav-
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ioral health services for law enforcement officers,
13
which may include resources for risk assessments,
14
evidence-based, trauma-informed care to treat post-
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traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder,
16
peer support and counselor services and family sup-
17
ports, and the promotion of improved access to high
18
quality mental health care through telehealth;
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(9) the implementation of evidence-based best
20
practices and training on the use of lethal and non-
21
lethal force;
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(10) the implementation of evidence-based best
23
practices and training on the duty of care and the
24
duty to intervene; and
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† S 1144 ES
(11) data collection for police practices relating
1
to officer and community safety.
2
(f) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANT RECIPI-
3
ENTS.—
4
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall establish
5
reasonable reporting requirements specifically relat-
6
ing to a grant awarded under this section for eligible
7
local governments that receive such a grant in order
8
to assist with the evaluation by the Office of the pro-
9
gram established under this section.
10
(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In establishing require-
11
ments under paragraph (1), the Director shall con-
12
sider the capacity of law enforcement agencies with
13
fewer than 175 officers to collect and report infor-
14
mation.
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(g) DISCLOSURE OF OFFICER RECRUITMENT AND
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RETENTION BONUSES.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after
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the date on which an eligible local government that
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receives a grant under this section awards a signing
20
or retention bonus described in paragraph (5) or (6)
21
of subsection (e), the eligible local government shall
22
disclose to the Director and make publicly available
23
on a website of the eligible local government the
24
amount of the bonus.
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† S 1144 ES
(2) REPORT.—The Attorney General shall sub-
1
mit to the appropriate congressional committees an
2
annual report that includes each signing or retention
3
bonus disclosed under paragraph (1) during the pre-
4
ceding year.
5
(h) GRANT ACCOUNTABILITY.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—All grants awarded by the
7
Director under this section shall be subject to the
8
accountability provisions described in this sub-
9
section.
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(2) AUDIT REQUIREMENT.—
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(A) DEFINITION.—In this paragraph, the
12
term ‘‘unresolved audit finding’’ means a find-
13
ing in the final audit report of the Inspector
14
General of the Department of Justice that the
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audited grantee has used grant funds for an
16
unauthorized expenditure or otherwise unallow-
17
able cost that is not closed or resolved within
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12 months from the date when the final audit
19
report is issued.
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(B) AUDITS.—Beginning in the first fiscal
21
year beginning after the date of enactment of
22
this subsection, and in each fiscal year there-
23
after, the Inspector General of the Department
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of Justice shall conduct audits of recipients of
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† S 1144 ES
grants under this section to prevent waste,
1
fraud, and abuse of funds by grantees. The In-
2
spector General of the Department of Justice
3
shall determine the appropriate number of
4
grantees to be audited each year.
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(C) MANDATORY EXCLUSION.—A recipient
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of grant funds under this section that is found
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to have an unresolved audit finding shall not be
8
eligible to receive grant funds under this section
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during the first 3 fiscal years beginning after
10
the end of the 12-month period described in
11
subparagraph (A).
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(D) REIMBURSEMENT.—If an eligible local
13
government is awarded grant funds under this
14
section during the 3-fiscal-year period during
15
which the eligible local government is barred
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from receiving grants under subparagraph (C),
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the Attorney General shall—
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(i) deposit an amount equal to the
19
amount of the grant funds that were im-
20
properly awarded to the grantee into the
21
General Fund of the Treasury; and
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(ii) seek to recoup the costs of the re-
23
payment to the fund from the grant recipi-
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† S 1144 ES
ent that was erroneously awarded grant
1
funds.
2
(3) ANNUAL CERTIFICATION.—Beginning in the
3
fiscal year during which audits commence under
4
paragraph (2)(B), the Attorney General shall submit
5
to the Committee on the Judiciary and the Com-
6
mittee on Appropriations of the Senate and the
7
Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on
8
Appropriations of the House of Representatives an
9
annual certification—
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(A) indicating whether—
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(i) all audits issued by the Office of
12
the Inspector General of the Department
13
of Justice under paragraph (2) have been
14
completed and reviewed by the appropriate
15
Assistant Attorney General or Director;
16
(ii) all mandatory exclusions required
17
under paragraph (2)(C) have been issued;
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and
19
(iii)
all
reimbursements
required
20
under paragraph (2)(D) have been made;
21
and
22
(B) that includes a list of any grant recipi-
23
ents excluded under paragraph (2) from the
24
previous year.
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† S 1144 ES
(i) PROGRAM EVALUATION.—Not less frequently
1
than annually, the Attorney General shall analyze the in-
2
formation provided by eligible local governments pursuant
3
to the reporting requirements established under subsection
4
(f)(1) to evaluate the efficacy of programs funded by the
5
grant program under this section.
6
(j) PREVENTING DUPLICATIVE GRANTS.—
7
(1) IN GENERAL.—Before the Director awards
8
a grant to an eligible local government under this
9
section, the Attorney General shall compare poten-
10
tial grant awards with other grants awarded by the
11
Attorney General to determine if grant awards are
12
or have been awarded for a similar purpose.
13
(2) REPORT.—If the Attorney General awards
14
grants to the same applicant for a similar purpose,
15
whether through the grant program under this sec-
16
tion or another grant program administered by the
17
Department of Justice, the Attorney General shall
18
submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the
19
Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the
20
House of Representatives a report that includes—
21
(A) a list of all such grants awarded, in-
22
cluding the total dollar amount of any such
23
grants awarded; and
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† S 1144 ES
(B) the reason the Attorney General
1
awarded multiple grants to the same applicant
2
for a similar purpose.
3
(k) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
4
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
5
not more than $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025
6
through 2029.
7
Passed the Senate December 17 (legislative day, De-
cember 16), 2024.
Attest:
Secretary.
118TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
S. 1144
AN ACT
To establish a grant program to provide assistance
to local law enforcement agencies, and for other
purposes.