[118th Congress Public Law 64]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[[Page 138 STAT. 1435]]
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. <<NOTE: May 24, 2024 - [S. 546]>>
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Recruit and
Retain Act.>>
SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 34 USC 10101 note.>> 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
paragraphs (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
subsections (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.
[[Page 138 STAT. 1436]]
``(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 competitive
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
agencies 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
dedicated programming for students, work-based learning
opportunities, project-based learning, mentoring,
community liaisons, career or job fairs, work site
visits, job shadowing, 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 Agencies.--
``(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
enforcement 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) <<NOTE: Deadline.>> 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.''.
[[Page 138 STAT. 1437]]
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
Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers; and
(F) <<NOTE: Recommenda- tions.>> recommendations for
potential ways to address barriers to the recruitment
and retention of law enforcement officers, including the
barriers identified in subparagraph (E).
(2) Representative cross-section.--
(A) <<NOTE: Survey.>> In general.--The Comptroller
General of the United States shall endeavor to ensure
accurate representation 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 enactment 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
Representatives a report containing the study conducted under
subsection (a); and
(2) <<NOTE: Public information. Web posting.>> make the
report submitted under paragraph (1) publicly available online.
[[Page 138 STAT. 1437]]
(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.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 546 (H.R. 3325):
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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.
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