I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8556 

To subsidize the salaries of State and local law enforcement officers and 

promote officer hiring and retention, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 9, 2020 

Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois (for himself, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. MARSHALL, 

and Mr. BOST) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To subsidize the salaries of State and local law enforcement 

officers and promote officer hiring and retention, 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 ‘‘David Dorn Back the 

5 Blue Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FUNDING REFORM. 

7 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—Part W of title I of the Omni8 bus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 

9 U.S.C. 10491 et seq.) is amended— 


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1 (1) in section 2301 (34 U.S.C. 10491)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

3 the end; 

4 (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the pe5 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

6 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(7) provide programs to support the hiring 

8 and retention of law enforcement personnel and aug9 ment the salaries of law enforcement personnel em10 ployed by cooperating State and local law enforce11 ment agencies or organizations.’’; 

12 (2) in section 2302 (34 U.S.C. 10492), by in13 serting before the period at the end the following: ‘‘, 

14 or in the case of State and local law enforcement 

15 agencies, to support the hiring and retention of law 

16 enforcement personnel and augment wages paid to 

17 law enforcement personnel’’; 

18 (3) in section 2303 (34 U.S.C. 10493)— 

19 (A) in subsection (a), by inserting before 

20 the period at the end the following: ‘‘, or to 

21 support the hiring and retention of law enforce22 ment personnel and to augment wages paid to 

23 law enforcement personnel’’; and 

24 (B) in subsection (b), in the matter pre25 ceding paragraph (1), by inserting before the 


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1 colon the following: ‘‘, unless supporting the 

2 hiring and retention of law enforcement per3 sonnel or augmenting wages in accordance with 

4 subsection (d)’’; and 

5 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(d) HIRING AND RETENTION OF LAW ENFORCE7 MENT PERSONNEL.—A law enforcement agency or organi8 zation that receives funds under this part may use the 

9 funds for activities and programs to hire and pay addi10 tional law enforcement personnel or to retain existing per11 sonnel. 

12 ‘‘(e) AUGMENTATION OF WAGES.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A law enforcement agency 

14 or organization that receives funds under this part 

15 may use the funds to augment the salaries of law 

16 enforcement personnel, up to an amount equal to 

17 110 percent of the State real median household in18 come of the preceding year, as estimated by the 

19 United States Census Bureau. 

20 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—A law enforcement agen21 cy or organization shall not be eligible to receive 

22 funds under this part for the purpose described in 

23 paragraph (1) if the agency or organization reduced 

24 the salaries of law enforcement personnel during the 

25 calendar year immediately preceding the application 


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1 for funds for the sole purpose of dismantling law en2 forcement agencies or organizations pursuant to a 

3 State or local policy. 

4 ‘‘(3) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 

5 paragraph (2) shall be construed to affect the eligi6 bility of any law enforcement agency or organization 

7 that reduces the salaries of law enforcement per8 sonnel due to budget constraints that are imple9 mented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.’’; 

10 (4) in section 2304(1) (34 U.S.C. 10494(1)), by 

11 inserting ‘‘, unless Federal funds are sought for the 

12 purpose of personnel hiring, personnel retention, or 

13 wage augmentation,’’ after ‘‘certify’’; and 

14 (5) in section 2305 (34 U.S.C. 10495(b))— 

15 (A) by striking ‘‘The Attorney General 

16 may award’’ and inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para18 graph (2), the Attorney General may award’’; and 

19 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—Paragraph (1) shall not 

21 apply to grants sought for the purpose of personnel 

22 hiring, personnel retention, or wage augmentation.’’. 

23 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

24 1001(21) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 

25 Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10261(21)) is amended 


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1 by striking ‘‘$7,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 

2 through 2024.’’ and inserting ‘‘$15,000,000,000 for each 

3 of fiscal years 2021 through 2025, of which any funds 

4 appropriated in excess of $7,500,000 shall be used for the 

5 hiring and retention of law enforcement officers and the 

6 augmentation of wages as described in such part.’’. 

Æ 


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