II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 954 

To provide grants to State, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement 

agencies to purchase chemical screening devices and train personnel 

to use chemical screening devices in order to enhance law enforcement 

efficiency and protect law enforcement officers. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 28, 2019 

Mr. BROWN (for himself, Mr. COTTON, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. GARDNER, Mr. 

MARKEY, Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. 

TILLIS, Ms. WARREN, and Mr. BENNET) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To provide grants to State, local, territorial, and Tribal law 

enforcement agencies to purchase chemical screening devices and train personnel to use chemical screening devices in order to enhance law enforcement efficiency and 

protect law enforcement officers. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Providing Officers 

5 With Electronic Resources Act’’ or the ‘‘POWER Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

3 (1) chemical screening devices enhance the abil4 ity of law enforcement agencies to identify unknown 

5 chemical substances seized or otherwise encountered 

6 by law enforcement officers; and 

7 (2) equipping law enforcement agencies with 

8 technology that can more efficiently identify sub9 stances, such as heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, 

10 and other narcotics, will ensure that law enforce11 ment agencies can— 

12 (A) investigate cases more quickly and 

13 safely; 

14 (B) better deploy resources and strategies 

15 to combat illegal substances from entering and 

16 harming communities throughout the United 

17 States; and 

18 (C) share spectral data with other law en19 forcement agencies and State and local fusion 

20 centers. 

21 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to provide 

22 grants to State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies 

23 to purchase chemical screening devices and train personnel 

24 to use chemical screening devices in order to— 

25 (1) enhance law enforcement efficiency; and 

26 (2) protect law enforcement officers. 


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1 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) APPLICANT.—The term ‘‘applicant’’ means 

4 a law enforcement agency that applies for a grant 

5 under section 4. 

6 (2) ATTORNEY GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Attorney 

7 General’’ means the Attorney General, acting 

8 through the Director of the Office of Community 

9 Oriented Policing Services. 

10 (3) CHEMICAL SCREENING DEVICE.—The term 

11 ‘‘chemical screening device’’ means an infrared spec12 trophotometer, mass spectrometer, nuclear magnetic 

13 resonance spectrometer, Raman spectrophotometer, 

14 ion mobility spectrometer, or any other scientific in15 strumentation that is able to collect data that can be 

16 interpreted to determine the presence and identity of 

17 a covered substance. 

18 (4) CHIEF LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.—The 

19 term ‘‘chief law enforcement officer’’ has the mean20 ing given the term in section 922(s) of title 18, 

21 United States Code. 

22 (5) COVERED SUBSTANCE.—The term covered 

23 substance means— 

24 (A) fentanyl; 

25 (B) any other synthetic opioid; and 


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1 (C) any other narcotic or psychoactive sub2 stance. 

3 (6) GRANT FUNDS.—The term ‘‘grant funds’’ 

4 means funds from a grant awarded under section 4. 

5 (7) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

6 has the meaning given the term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ in 

7 section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu8 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

9 (8) LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.—The term 

10 ‘‘law enforcement agency’’ means an agency of a 

11 State, unit of local government, or Indian Tribe that 

12 is authorized by law or by a government agency to 

13 engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, in14 vestigation, or prosecution of any violation of crimi15 nal law. 

16 (9) PERSONNEL.—The term ‘‘personnel’’— 

17 (A) means employees of a law enforcement 

18 agency; and 

19 (B) includes scientists and law enforce20 ment officers. 

21 (10) RECIPIENT.—The term ‘‘recipient’’ means 

22 an applicant that receives a grant under section 4. 

23 (11) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean24 ing given the term in section 901 of title I of the 


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1 Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 

2 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10251). 

3 SEC. 4. GRANTS. 

4 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Attorney General 

5 may award grants to applicants to— 

6 (1) purchase a chemical screening device; and 

7 (2) train personnel to use, and interpret data 

8 collected by, a chemical screening device. 

9 (b) APPLICATIONS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The chief law enforcement 

11 officer of an applicant shall submit to the Attorney 

12 General an application that— 

13 (A) shall include— 

14 (i) a statement describing the need for 

15 a chemical screening device in the jurisdic16 tion of the applicant; and 

17 (ii) a certification— 

18 (I) of the number of chemical 

19 screening devices the applicant owns 

20 or possesses; 

21 (II) that not less than 1 em22 ployee of the applicant will be trained 

23 to— 


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1 (aa) use any chemical 

2 screening device purchased using 

3 grant funds; and 

4 (bb) interpret data collected 

5 by any chemical screening device 

6 purchased using grant funds; and 

7 (III) that the applicant will make 

8 any chemical screening device pur9 chased using grant funds reasonably 

10 available to test a covered substance 

11 seized by a law enforcement agency 

12 near the jurisdiction of the applicant; 

13 and 

14 (B) in addition to the information required 

15 under subparagraph (A), may, at the option of 

16 the applicant, include— 

17 (i) information relating to— 

18 (I) the process used by the appli19 cant to identify a covered substance 

20 seized by the applicant, including— 

21 (aa) the approximate aver22 age amount of time required for 

23 the applicant to identify a cov24 ered substance; and 


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1 (bb) as of the date of the 

2 application, the number of cases 

3 in which the applicant is awaiting 

4 identification of a covered sub5 stance; 

6 (II) any documented case of a 

7 law enforcement officer, first re8 sponder, or treating medical personnel 

9 in the jurisdiction of the applicant 

10 who has suffered an accidental drug 

11 overdose caused by exposure to a cov12 ered substance while in the line of 

13 duty; 

14 (III) any chemical screening de15 vice the applicant will purchase using 

16 grant funds, including the estimated 

17 cost of the chemical screening device; 

18 and 

19 (IV) any estimated costs relating 

20 to training personnel of the applicant 

21 to use a chemical screening device 

22 purchased using grant funds; and 

23 (ii) data relating to— 

24 (I) the approximate amount of 

25 covered substances seized by the apVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:14 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S954.IS S954

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1 plicant during the 2-year period end2 ing on the date of the application, cat3 egorized by the type of covered sub4 stance seized; and 

5 (II) the approximate number of 

6 covered substance overdoses in the ju7 risdiction of the applicant that the ap8 plicant investigated or responded to 

9 during the 2-year period ending on 

10 the date of the application, cat11 egorized by fatal and nonfatal 

12 overdoses. 

13 (2) JOINT APPLICATIONS.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—Two or more law en15 forcement agencies, including law enforcement 

16 agencies located in different States, that have 

17 jurisdiction over areas that are geographically 

18 contiguous may submit a joint application for a 

19 grant under this section that includes— 

20 (i) for each law enforcement agency— 

21 (I) all information required under 

22 paragraph (1)(A); and 

23 (II) any optional information de24 scribed in paragraph (1)(B) that each 


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1 law enforcement agency chooses to in2 clude; 

3 (ii) a plan for the sharing of any 

4 chemical screening devices purchased or 

5 training provided using grant funds; and 

6 (iii) a certification that not less than 

7 1 employee of each law enforcement agency 

8 will be trained to— 

9 (I) use any chemical screening 

10 device purchased using grant funds; 

11 and 

12 (II) interpret data collected by 

13 any chemical screening device pur14 chased using grant funds. 

15 (B) SUBMISSION.—Law enforcement agen16 cies submitting a joint application under sub17 paragraph (A) shall— 

18 (i) be considered as 1 applicant; and 

19 (ii) select the chief law enforcement 

20 officer of 1 of the law enforcement agen21 cies to submit the joint application. 

22 (c) RESTRICTIONS.— 

23 (1) SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDS.—Grant funds shall 

24 be used to supplement, and not supplant, State, 

25 local, and Tribal funds made available to any appliVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:14 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S954.IS S954

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1 cant for any of the purposes described in subsection 

2 (a). 

3 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Not more than 3 

4 percent of any grant made under this section may 

5 be used for administrative costs. 

6 (d) REPORTS AND RECORDS.— 

7 (1) REPORTS.—For each year during which 

8 grant funds are used, the recipient shall submit to 

9 the Attorney General a report containing— 

10 (A) a summary of any activity carried out 

11 using grant funds; 

12 (B) an assessment of whether each activity 

13 described in subparagraph (A) is meeting the 

14 needs described in subsection (b)(1)(A)(i) that 

15 the applicant identified in the application sub16 mitted under subsection (b); and 

17 (C) any other information relevant to the 

18 purpose of this Act that the Attorney General 

19 may determine appropriate. 

20 (2) RECORDS.—For the purpose of an audit by 

21 the Attorney General of the receipt and use of grant 

22 funds, a recipient shall— 

23 (A) keep— 

24 (i) any record relating to the receipt 

25 and use of grant funds; and 


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1 (ii) any other record as the Attorney 

2 General may require; and 

3 (B) make the records described in subpara4 graph (A) available to the Attorney General 

5 upon request by the Attorney General. 

6 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

7 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Attor8 ney General $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2021 to carry out 

9 section 4. 

Æ 


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