II 

Calendar No. 87 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 994 

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 

provide that COPS grant funds may be used for local law enforcement 

recruits to attend schools or academies if the recruits agree to serve 

in precincts of law enforcement agencies in their communities. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 28, 2023 

Mr. PETERS (for himself, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. TILLIS, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. BOOKER, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL, Mr. OSSOFF, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. COONS, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, 

Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HAWLEY, and Mr. WELCH) introduced the following 

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

JUNE 8, 2023 

Reported by Mr. DURBIN, with amendments 

[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 

Act of 1968 to provide that COPS grant funds may 

be used for local law enforcement recruits to attend 

schools or academies if the recruits agree to serve in 

precincts of law enforcement agencies in their communities. 


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•S 994 RS

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 ‘‘Strong Communities 

5 Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. STRONG COMMUNITIES PROGRAM. 

7 Section 1701 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 

8 and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amend9 ed — 

10 (1) by redesignating subsection (m) as sub11 section (n); and 

12 (2) by inserting after subsection (l) adding at 

13 the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(mo) COPS STRONG COMMUNITIES PROGRAM.— 

15 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

16 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi17 ble entity’ means— 

18 ‘‘(i) an institution of higher education, 

19 as defined in section 101 of the Higher 

20 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), 

21 that, in coordination or through an agree22 ment with a local law enforcement agency, 

23 offers a law enforcement training program; 

24 or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) a local law enforcement agency 

2 that offers a law enforcement training pro3 gram. 

4 ‘‘(B) LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN5 CY.—The term ‘local law enforcement agency’ 

6 means an agency of a State, unit of local gov7 ernment, or Indian Tribe that is authorized by 

8 law or by a government agency to engage in or 

9 supervise the prevention, detection, investiga10 tion, or prosecution of any violation of criminal 

11 law. 

12 ‘‘(2) GRANTS.—The Attorney General may use 

13 amounts otherwise appropriated to carry out this 

14 section for a fiscal year (beginning with fiscal year 

15 2023) to make competitive grants to local law en16 forcement agencies to be used for officers and re17 cruits to attend law enforcement training programs 

18 at eligible entities if the officers and recruits agree 

19 to serve in law enforcement agencies in their com20 munities. 

21 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant 

22 through a local law enforcement agency under this 

23 subsection, each officer or recruit described in para24 graph (2) shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) serve as a full-time law enforcement 

2 officer for a total of not fewer than 4 years dur3 ing the 8-year period beginning on the date on 

4 which the officer or recruit completes a law en5 forcement training program for which the offi6 cer or recruit receives benefits; 

7 ‘‘(B) complete the service described in sub8 paragraph (A) in a local law enforcement agen9 cy located within— 

10 ‘‘(i) 7 miles of the residence of the of11 ficer or recruit where the officer or recruit 

12 has resided for not fewer than 5 years; or 

13 ‘‘(ii) if the officer or recruit resides in 

14 a county with fewer than 150,000 resi15 dents, within 20 miles of the residence of 

16 the officer or recruit where the officer or 

17 recruit has resided for not fewer than 5 

18 years; and 

19 ‘‘(C) submit to the eligible entity providing 

20 a law enforcement training program to the offi21 cer or recruit evidence of employment of the of22 ficer or recruit in the form of a certification by 

23 the chief administrative officer of the local law 

24 enforcement agency where the officer or recruit 

25 is employed. 


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1 ‘‘(4) REPAYMENT.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If an officer or recruit 

3 does not complete the service described in para4 graph (3), the officer or recruit shall submit to 

5 the local law enforcement agency an amount 

6 equal to any benefits the officer or recruit re7 ceived through the local law enforcement agency 

8 under this subsection. 

9 ‘‘(B) REGULATIONS.—The Attorney Gen10 eral shall promulgate regulations that establish 

11 categories of extenuating circumstances under 

12 which an officer or recruit may be excused from 

13 repayment under subparagraph (A).’’. 


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Calendar No. 87 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 994 

A BILL 

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

ment agencies in their communities. cruits agree to serve in precincts of law enforcecruits to attend schools or academies if the refunds may be used for local law enforcement reStreets Act of 1968 to provide that COPS grant 

JUNE 8, 2023 

Reported with amendments 


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