National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support and Community Outreach Act

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3381 To authorize the Attorney General to establish the National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support and Community Outreach program, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 16, 2023 Mr. NEHLS (for himself, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. HUNT, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. EZELL, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mr. TIFFANY, Mr. DELUZIO, Mr. STAUBER, Ms. BROWNLEY, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. KILDEE, Mrs. BOEBERT, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina, Mr. LAMALFA, Mr. MOOLENAAR, Mr. BACON, Mr. CARTER of Texas, Mr. GOODEN of Texas, Mr. STEWART, Mr. CARL, Mr. BOST, Mr. BANKS, Mr. ALFORD, Ms. SA- LINAS, Mr. VAN DREW, and Mr. RESCHENTHALER) introduced the fol- lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To authorize the Attorney General to establish the National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support and Community Outreach program, 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 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Law Enforce- 4 ment Officers Remembrance, Support and Community 5 Outreach Act’’. 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:03 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3381.IH H3381 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3381 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress finds the following: 2 (1) The National Law Enforcement Officers 3 Memorial and the National Law Enforcement Mu- 4 seum in Washington, DC, represent the only law en- 5 forcement campus in the United States and serves 6 a critical national mission of honoring and remem- 7 bering those law enforcement officers who have died 8 in the line of duty, educating the public about the 9 important role of law enforcement in a democratic 10 society, and working to reduce the number of line of 11 duty deaths and injuries among law enforcement. 12 (2) It is in the national interest to ensure that 13 the unique education and outreach programs of the 14 National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund 15 and National Law Enforcement Museum be main- 16 tained and enhanced. 17 (3) In 1984, Congress passed, and President 18 Ronald Reagan signed into law, a joint resolution to 19 authorize the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial 20 Fund, Inc., to establish a National Law Enforce- 21 ment Heroes Memorial (Public Law 98–534) in 22 Washington, DC. 23 (4) Dedicated on October 15, 1991, the Na- 24 tional Law Enforcement Officers Memorial honors 25 Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement of- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:13 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3381.IH H3381 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3381 IH ficers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the 1 safety and protection of our nation and its people. 2 The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is 3 centered in the 400 block of E Street, NW, Wash- 4 ington, DC and is the nation’s monument to law en- 5 forcement officers who have died in the line of duty. 6 The Memorial was built entirely with private funds. 7 (5) In 2000, Congress passed, and President 8 William J. Clinton signed into law, the National 9 Law Enforcement Museum Act (Public Law 106– 10 492), which authorized the National Law Enforce- 11 ment Officers Memorial Fund, Inc. to build the Na- 12 tional Law Enforcement Museum on Federal land in 13 Washington, DC, to honor and commemorate the 14 service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers in 15 the United States. 16 (6) In April 2016, construction began on the 17 National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, 18 DC, across the street from the National Law En- 19 forcement Officers Memorial in Judiciary Square. In 20 October of 2018 the National Law Enforcement Mu- 21 seum was completed and formally opened in October 22 of 2018. No Federal funds were used to build the 23 museum. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:13 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3381.IH H3381 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3381 IH (7) The National Law Enforcement Museum’s 1 mission is— 2 (A) to honor and commemorate the ex- 3 traordinary service and sacrifice of America’s 4 law enforcement officers; 5 (B) to serve as an important bridge be- 6 tween law enforcement’s past and present, be- 7 tween the heroes of yesteryear and those who 8 have followed in their footsteps, and between 9 America’s peace officers and the public they 10 serve; and 11 (C) to increase public understanding and 12 support for law enforcement and to promote 13 law enforcement safety. 14 (8) The National Law Enforcement Officers 15 Memorial Fund maintains the National Law En- 16 forcement Officers Memorial wall in Washington, 17 DC, which includes the names of every law enforce- 18 ment officers killed in the line of duty in American 19 history. The National Law Enforcement Officers 20 Memorial Fund adds names of fallen officers to the 21 Memorial wall every year. 22 (9) The National Law Enforcement Officers 23 Memorial Fund has become the foremost organiza- 24 tion in the country that memorializes law enforce- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:13 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3381.IH H3381 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3381 IH ment heroes who die in the line of duty and compiles 1 statistics on law enforcement fatalities and injuries. 2 (10) The programs of the National Law En- 3 forcement Officers Memorial Fund and the National 4 Law Enforcement Museum play a critical role in 5 educating the public about the vital importance of 6 law enforcement in a democratic society and the crit- 7 ical role law enforcement plays in protecting and 8 serving the public, and the sacrifices law enforce- 9 ment officers have made to serve in this role and 10 protect the public. 11 (11) The community education and outreach 12 programs, activities, and special exhibits within the 13 National Law Enforcement Museum help bring local 14 law enforcement agencies closer to the communities 15 they serve, and help to foster a better understanding 16 between law enforcement and communities. 17 (12) The National Law Enforcement Museum’s 18 Officer Safety and Wellness education and outreach 19 programs and activities help provide local, State and 20 Federal law enforcement agencies with critical infor- 21 mation on best practices to reduce the number of 22 line of duty deaths and injuries and provide commu- 23 nities and the public with education concerning the 24 sacrifices made. These programs, activities, and spe- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:03 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3381.IH H3381 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3381 IH cial exhibits are vitally important at a time when an- 1 nual line of duty deaths among law enforcement offi- 2 cers remain at an historically high level. 3 (13) Since the establishment of the National 4 Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in 1991, the 5 National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund 6 has worked cooperatively with local, State and Fed- 7 eral law enforcement agencies to properly honor the 8 sacrifices made by law enforcement and provide key 9 programming to reduce the number of law enforce- 10 ment fatalities and injuries, and foster better under- 11 standing between law enforcement and the commu- 12 nities they serve. 13 (14) Law enforcement agencies around the 14 country are dedicated to continuous improvement 15 and innovation in officer and community safety, and 16 to building trust through community-based engage- 17 ment and interventions. 18 (15) Since 2020, there has been a significant 19 increase in the number of law enforcement officers 20 resigning or retiring. According to the Police Execu- 21 tive Research Forum, over the past 3 years there 22 has been an almost 24 percent increase in the num- 23 ber of law enforcement officers retiring, and more 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:03 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3381.IH H3381 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3381 IH than 47 percent increase in the number of law en- 1 forcement officers resigning. 2 (16) Over the past 2 years, a number of local 3 governments have decreased funding for local law 4 enforcement agencies at a critical time when law en- 5 forcement agencies are having a difficult time re- 6 cruiting and retaining officers. A number of law en- 7 forcement agencies across the country remain under- 8 staffed, and many law enforcement agencies have 9 been forced to declare personnel emergencies and re- 10 quire mandatory overtime. 11 (17) The resulting deficit in confidence and 12 support jeopardizes public safety. A sustained na- 13 tional effort to restore confidence and understanding 14 in law enforcement is urgently needed. 15 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL LAW ENFORCE- 16 MENT OFFICERS REMEMBRANCE, SUPPORT, 17 AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM. 18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 120 days after 19 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney Gen- 20 eral shall establish within the Department of Justice a Na- 21 tional Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support, 22 and Community Outreach Program (hereinafter referred 23 to as ‘‘the Program’’). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:03 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3381.IH H3381 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3381 IH (b) PROGRAMS.—During the first 7 fiscal years be- 1 ginning after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 2 Attorney General shall award a grant under the Program 3 to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund 4 for the expenses associated with operating and enhancing 5 the community outreach, public education, and officer 6 safety and wellness programs operated by the of the Na- 7 tional Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and Na- 8 tional Law Enforcement Museum, including programs 9 to— 10 (1) memorialize law enforcement heroes who 11 died in the line of duty and compile statistics on law 12 enforcement fatalities and injuries; 13 (2) honor and commemorate the extraordinary 14 service and sacrifice of America’s law enforcement 15 officers; 16 (3) increase public understanding of and sup- 17 port for law enforcement, and bring local law en- 18 forcement agencies closer to the communities they 19 serve; 20 (4) educate the public about the vital impor- 21 tance of law enforcement in a democratic society and 22 the critical role law enforcement plays in protecting 23 and serving the public, and the sacrifices law en- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:03 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3381.IH H3381 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3381 IH forcement officers have made to serve in this role 1 and protect the public; 2 (5) provide local, State and Federal law en- 3 forcement agencies with critical information on best 4 practices to reduce the number of line of duty deaths 5 and injuries and provide communities and the public 6 with education concerning the sacrifices made; 7 (6) facilitate forums around the country to edu- 8 cate local, State and Federal law enforcement agen- 9 cies about best practices to promote officer safety 10 and wellness, as well as community-based engage- 11 ment and interventions. 12 (c) PROGRESS REPORT.—For each of the first 7 fis- 13 cal years the National Law Enforcement Officers Memo- 14 rial Fund is awarded a grant under the Program, the Na- 15 tional Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund shall 16 submit a report to the Attorney General that— 17 (1) documents, consistent with the funding pro- 18 vided from the Department, the progress in deliv- 19 ering public education, community outreach and offi- 20 cer safety and wellness programming; 21 (2) provides a formal accounting of total 22 amounts of Federal funds expended during the fiscal 23 year. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:03 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3381.IH H3381 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3381 IH (d) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Each fiscal year, 1 the Attorney General shall submit the report required 2 under subsection (c) to Congress and shall make the re- 3 port available to the public on the internet website of the 4 Department of Justice. 5 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 6 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 7 appropriated to the Attorney General to carry out 8 this section $6,000,000 for each of the first 7 fiscal 9 years beginning after the date of the enactment of 10 this Act. 11 (2) EXCEPTION.—If in any fiscal year the 12 amount appropriated pursuant to the authorization 13 under paragraph (1) is not the full amount provided 14 by such paragraph, the Attorney General may trans- 15 fer such sums as may be necessary from the Office 16 of Justice Programs, up to the amount specified in 17 paragraph (1), to carry out this section. 18 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:03 Jun 01, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3381.IH H3381 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS