I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4799 

To require State and local law enforcement agencies to submit information 

about law enforcement investigations to the Attorney General, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 22, 2019 

Mr. VEASEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To require State and local law enforcement agencies to submit information about law enforcement investigations to 

the Attorney General, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Preservation of Public 

5 Evidence Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT TO SUBMIT INFORMATION ABOUT 

2 INVESTIGATIONS TO THE ATTORNEY GEN3 ERAL. 

4 (a) REQUIREMENT.—A State receiving any amount 

5 under a grant program covered by section 3(a) shall re6 quire each law enforcement agency of that State, and of 

7 each unit of local government of that State, to submit to 

8 the Attorney General, for any incident being investigated 

9 by such law enforcement agency wherein a person was in10 jured or killed by a law enforcement officer or while in 

11 the custody of a law enforcement agency, copies or records 

12 of any of the following that pertains to the incident: 

13 (1) Any record or information. 

14 (2) Any item of evidence. 

15 (3) Any photographs. 

16 (4) Any videos, including footage from dash17 board cameras and body-worn cameras. 

18 (5) Any witness statements. 

19 (6) Any other tangible documents. 

20 (b) PUBLICATION.—The Attorney General— 

21 (1) shall preserve materials submitted under 

22 subsection (a); and 

23 (2) may, at the request of an attorney, a court, 

24 or such other person as may be deemed appropriate 

25 by the Attorney General, publish such materials or 


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1 descriptions thereof, subject to any applicable limita2 tion under law. 

3 SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY FOR FEDERAL FUNDS. 

4 (a) COVERED PROGRAMS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this Act, a 

6 grant program is covered by this section if— 

7 (A) the program is carried out by or under 

8 the authority of the Attorney General; and 

9 (B) the program provides amounts to 

10 States for law enforcement purposes. 

11 (2) LIST.—For each fiscal year after the date 

12 of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall 

13 prepare a list identifying each program that meets 

14 the criteria of paragraph (1) and provide that list to 

15 each State. 

16 (b) COMPLIANCE.—For each fiscal year after the 

17 date of enactment of this Act, any amount that a State 

18 would otherwise receive for that fiscal year under a grant 

19 program covered by this section shall be reduced by 10 

20 percent, unless the chief executive of the State submits 

21 to the Attorney General— 

22 (1) a certification that each law enforcement 

23 agency of the State, and of each unit of local govern24 ment of the State, is in compliance with the require25 ments of section 2; or 


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1 (2) an assurance that not less than 5 percent 

2 of such amount shall be used only for the purpose 

3 of enabling each law enforcement agency of the 

4 State, and of each unit of local government of the 

5 State to comply with the requirements of section 2, 

6 so as to ensure that a certification under paragraph 

7 (1) may be submitted not later than 90 days after 

8 such assurance. 

9 (c) REPORT ON NONCOMPLIANCE.—Not later than 

10 the last day of each fiscal year after the date of enactment 

11 of this Act, the Attorney General shall publish a report 

12 listing each State wherein a law enforcement agency of 

13 the State, or of a unit of local government of the State, 

14 has not complied with the requirements of section 2 for 

15 that fiscal year. 

16 (d) REDISTRIBUTION OF AMOUNTS.—Amounts not 

17 allocated to a State under a program as the result of a 

18 reduction under subsection (b) shall be reallocated under 

19 such program to a State that is in compliance with this 

20 section, subject to the limitations under such program. 

21 (e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The first grants to which 

22 subsection (b) applies are grants for the fiscal year begin23 ning October 1, 2020. 


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1 SEC. 4. ENHANCED FUNDING FOR BODY CAMERA GRANTS. 

2 For fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treas3 ury not otherwise appropriated, there is authorized to be 

4 appropriated an additional amount of $10,000,000, to be 

5 used for grants under part Q of the Omnibus Crime Con6 trol and Safe Streets Act of 1968, for the acquisition and 

7 use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement officers. 

Æ 


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