II 

Calendar No. 419 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2151 

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 

JUNE 21, 2021 

Mr. PETERS (for himself, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. TILLIS, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. 

LEAHY, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. OSSOFF, Mrs. 

BLACKBURN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. DURBIN, and Mr. BLUMENTHAL) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

JUNE 14, 2022 

Reported by Mr. DURBIN, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause 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 2151 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. STRONG COMMUNITIES PROGRAM. 

4 Section 1701 of Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

5 Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating subsection (m) as sub7 section (n); and 

8 (2) by inserting after subsection (l) the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(m) COPS STRONG COMMUNITIES PROGRAM.— 

11 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi13 ble entity’ means— 

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

15 as defined in section 101 of the Higher 

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

17 that, in coordination or through an agree18 ment with a local law enforcement agency, 

19 offers a law enforcement training program; 

20 or 

21 ‘‘(ii) a local law enforcement agency 

22 that offers a law enforcement training pro23 gram. 

24 ‘‘(B) LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGEN25 CY.—The term ‘local law enforcement agency’ 


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•S 2151 RS

1 means an agency of a State, unit of local gov2 ernment, or Indian Tribe that is authorized by 

3 law or by a government agency to engage in or 

4 supervise the prevention, detection, investiga5 tion, or prosecution of any violation of criminal 

6 law. 

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

8 amounts otherwise appropriated to carry out this 

9 section for a fiscal year (beginning with fiscal year 

10 2020) to make competitive grants to local law en11 forcement agencies to be used for recruits to attend 

12 eligible entities if the recruits agree to serve in law 

13 enforcement agencies in their communities. 

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

15 under this subsection, each recruit described in 

16 paragraph (2) shall— 

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

18 officer for a total of not fewer than 4 years dur19 ing the 8-year period after the date on which 

20 the recruit completes a law enforcement train21 ing program for which the recruit received ben22 efits; 

23 ‘‘(B) complete their service in a local law 

24 enforcement agency located within— 


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1 ‘‘(i) 5 miles of the residence of the re2 cruit where the recruit has resided for not 

3 fewer than 5 years; or 

4 ‘‘(ii) if the recruit resides in a county 

5 with less than 100,000 residents, within 20 

6 miles of the residence of the recruit where 

7 the recruit has resided for not fewer than 

8 5 years; and 

9 ‘‘(C) submit evidence of employment of the 

10 recruit to the eligible agency in the form of a 

11 certification by the chief administrative officer 

12 of the local law enforcement agency where the 

13 recruit is employed. 

14 ‘‘(4) REPAYMENT.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If a recruit does not 

16 complete the service described in paragraph (3), 

17 the recruit shall submit to the local law enforce18 ment agency an amount equal to any benefits 

19 the recruit received under this subsection. 

20 ‘‘(B) REGULATIONS.—The Attorney Gen21 eral shall promulgate regulations that establish 

22 categories of extenuating circumstances under 

23 which a recruit may be excused from repayment 

24 under subparagraph (A).’’. 


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•S 2151 RS

1 SECTION 1. STRONG COMMUNITIES PROGRAM. 

2 Section 1701 of Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

3 Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amended— 

4 (1) by redesignating subsection (m) as subsection 

5 (n); and 

6 (2) by inserting after subsection (l) the following: 

7 ‘‘(m) COPS STRONG COMMUNITIES PROGRAM.— 

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

9 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible 

10 entity’ means— 

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

12 as defined in section 101 of the Higher 

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

14 that, in coordination or through an agree15 ment with a local law enforcement agency, 

16 offers a law enforcement training program; 

17 or 

18 ‘‘(ii) a local law enforcement agency 

19 that offers a law enforcement training pro20 gram. 

21 ‘‘(B) LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.— 

22 The term ‘local law enforcement agency’ means 

23 an agency of a State, unit of local government, 

24 or Indian Tribe that is authorized by law or by 

25 a government agency to engage in or supervise 


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•S 2151 RS

1 the prevention, detection, investigation, or pros2 ecution of any violation of criminal law. 

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

4 amounts otherwise appropriated to carry out this sec5 tion for a fiscal year (beginning with fiscal year 

6 2020) to make competitive grants to local law enforce7 ment agencies to be used for officers and recruits to 

8 attend law enforcement training programs at eligible 

9 entities if the officers and recruits agree to serve in 

10 law enforcement agencies in their communities. 

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

12 under this subsection, each officer or recruit described 

13 in paragraph (2) shall— 

14 ‘‘(A) serve as a full-time law enforcement of15 ficer for a total of not fewer than 4 years during 

16 the 8-year period beginning on the date on which 

17 the officer or recruit completes a law enforcement 

18 training program for which the officer or recruit 

19 received benefits; 

20 ‘‘(B) complete the service described in sub21 paragraph (A) in a local law enforcement agency 

22 located within— 

23 ‘‘(i) 7 miles of the residence of the offi24 cer or recruit where the officer or recruit 

25 has resided for not fewer than 5 years; or 


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

2 a county with fewer than 150,000 residents, 

3 within 20 miles of the residence of the offi4 cer or recruit where the officer or recruit 

5 has resided for not fewer than 5 years; and 

6 ‘‘(C) submit to the eligible entity evidence of 

7 employment of the officer or recruit in the form 

8 of a certification by the chief administrative offi9 cer of the local law enforcement agency where the 

10 officer or recruit is employed. 

11 ‘‘(4) REPAYMENT.— 

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

13 does not complete the service described in para14 graph (3), the officer or recruit shall submit to 

15 the local law enforcement agency an amount 

16 equal to any benefits the officer or recruit re17 ceived under this subsection. 

18 ‘‘(B) REGULATIONS.—The Attorney General 

19 shall promulgate regulations that establish cat20 egories of extenuating circumstances under which 

21 an officer or recruit may be excused from repay22 ment under subparagraph (A).’’. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
Calendar No. 419 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2151 

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 14, 2022 

Reported with an amendment 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS