II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5207 

To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to improve public safety, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 7, 2022 

Ms. SMITH introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to improve 

public safety, 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 ‘‘Supporting Innovation 

5 in Public Safety Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. INNOVATION IN SAFETY DEMONSTRATION 

7 PROJECTS. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT10 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional comVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 Dec 09, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5207.IS S5207

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1 mittees’’ means the Committee on the Judiciary of 

2 the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of 

3 the House of Representatives. 

4 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti5 ty’’ means— 

6 (A) a State government; 

7 (B) a local government; 

8 (C) a Tribal government; and 

9 (D) a nonprofit organization. 

10 (3) LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.—The term 

11 ‘‘law enforcement agency’’ means any government 

12 agency that has the principal functions of— 

13 (A) the prevention, detection, and inves14 tigation of crime; and 

15 (B) the apprehension of alleged criminal 

16 offenders. 

17 (4) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

18 ‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means— 

19 (A) an organization described in section 

20 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

21 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of 

22 such code; and 

23 (B) an organization that is a nonprofit or24 ganization under the law of the State in which 

25 the organization is located. 


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1 (5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any 

2 State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 

3 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United 

4 States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the 

5 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 

6 and any possession of the United States. 

7 (6) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘Tribal 

8 government’’ means the government of an Indian 

9 tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-De10 termination and Education Assistance Act (25 

11 U.S.C. 5304)). 

12 (b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall 

14 award grants, on a competitive basis, to not less 

15 than 100 eligible entities to perform a demonstration 

16 project described in paragraph (2). 

17 (2) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.—An eligible 

18 entity receiving a grant under paragraph (1) shall 

19 perform a demonstration project that supports the 

20 development and implementation of programs and 

21 policies that improve public safety with innovative 

22 strategies, including— 

23 (A) improving mental health crisis re24 sponse; 


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1 (B) reassigning some functions of law en2 forcement officers to unarmed public employees; 

3 (C) creating programs designed to reduce 

4 the incidence of violence, harassment, and civil 

5 rights violations by law enforcement officers; 

6 (D) reducing the financial and operational 

7 reliance of law enforcement agencies on the col8 lection of fines, fees, and other charges; and 

9 (E) identifying, and making publicly avail10 able a report relating to, potential— 

11 (i) reforms to State criminal statutes 

12 in order to— 

13 (I) eliminate unnecessary fines, 

14 fees, and other charges; and 

15 (II) eliminate or reduce manda16 tory minimum sentences; and 

17 (ii) reforms to State criminal statutes 

18 and local ordinances that— 

19 (I) contribute to the criminaliza20 tion of poverty; or 

21 (II) are enforced in a racially dis22 parate manner. 

23 (3) DURATION.—A demonstration project per24 formed under paragraph (2) shall be performed for 

25 a period of not less than 5 years. 


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1 (4) LIMITATION ON RECEIPT AND USE OF

2 FUNDS.—A law enforcement agency may not receive 

3 or use any funds from a grant awarded under this 

4 subsection. 

5 (5) ADMINISTRATION.—An eligible entity that 

6 receives a grant under this section may enter into an 

7 agreement with a nonprofit organization to— 

8 (A) administer the grant; or 

9 (B) provide support to the eligible entity in 

10 the administration of the grant. 

11 (c) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT ALLOCATIONS.—In award12 ing grants under subsection (b), the Attorney General 

13 shall allocate to eligible entities that are Tribal govern14 ments not less than 10 percent of the funds that are made 

15 available to carry out that subsection. 

16 (d) DATA COLLECTION.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall 

18 collect the following data for the jurisdiction of an 

19 eligible entity performing a demonstration project 

20 with a grant under subsection (b) for each year dur21 ing which the eligible entity performs the demonstra22 tion project: 

23 (A) Population characteristics, including 

24 statistics on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, 

25 average and median income levels, and poverty. 


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1 (B) Average educational attainment. 

2 (C) Employment rates. 

3 (D) Housing market characteristics. 

4 (E) Demographic characteristics of individ5 uals who are arrested, charged, and convicted of 

6 crimes during the period of performance of the 

7 demonstration project by the eligible entity. 

8 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

9 date of enactment of this Act, and annually there10 after until the date on which each demonstration 

11 project performed under subsection (b) is complete, 

12 the Attorney General shall submit to the appropriate 

13 congressional committees a report that includes— 

14 (A) the total number of eligible entities 

15 performing demonstration projects with a grant 

16 under subsection (b); 

17 (B) a description and status assessment of 

18 each demonstration project described in sub19 paragraph (A); and 

20 (C) the data collected under paragraph (1). 

21 (e) EVALUATION.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

23 the date on which the Secretary awards the first 

24 grant under subsection (b)(1), and annually there25 after until the date on which each demonstration 


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1 project performed under subsection (b) is complete, 

2 the Attorney General, in consultation with the heads 

3 of other appropriate agencies, shall submit to the 

4 appropriate congressional committees an evaluation 

5 relating to the demonstration project performed by 

6 each eligible entity receiving a grant under sub7 section (b). 

8 (2) CONTENTS.—The evaluation required under 

9 paragraph (1) shall include, for each eligible entity 

10 performing a demonstration project with a grant 

11 under subsection (b)— 

12 (A) how the demonstration project— 

13 (i) has saved costs for the eligible en14 tity; 

15 (ii) has contributed to a reduced inci16 dence of use of force by law enforcement 

17 officers in the jurisdiction of the eligible 

18 entity; 

19 (iii) has contributed to improved rela20 tions between community members and law 

21 enforcement agencies and officers in the 

22 jurisdiction of the eligible entity; and 

23 (iv) has met the performance goals of 

24 the eligible entity; and 


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1 (B) other appropriate analysis of the out2 come of the demonstration project. 

3 (3) USE OF DATA.—In preparing the evaluation 

4 required under paragraph (1), the Attorney General 

5 shall use the data collected under subsection (d). 

6 (4) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The evaluation re7 quired under paragraph (1) shall be publicly avail8 able. 

9 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

10 are authorized to be appropriated— 

11 (1) to carry out subsection (b) $500,000,000; 

12 and 

13 (2) to carry out subsections (d) and (e) 

14 $100,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 

15 2027. 

Æ 


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