I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5364 

To improve security at State and local courthouses. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 21, 2018 

Mr. POE of Texas (for himself and Mr. SMITH of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and 

in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for 

a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To improve security at State and local courthouses. 

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 ‘‘Local Courthouse Safe5 ty Act of 2018’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SECURITY TRAINING. 

7 Part D of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and 

8 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3741 et seq.) is 

9 amended by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 403. PREVENTING VIOLENCE AGAINST LAW EN2 FORCEMENT AND ENSURING OFFICER RESIL3 IENCE AND SURVIVABILITY. 

4 ‘‘The Director may carry out a training and technical 

5 assistance program designed to teach employees of State, 

6 local, and tribal law enforcement agencies how to antici7 pate, survive, and respond to violent encounters during the 

8 course of their duties, including duties relating to security 

9 at State, county, and tribal courthouses. If the Director 

10 offers a training program specifically designed to train 

11 participants on courthouse security issues, preference for 

12 admission into such program shall be given to employees 

13 of jurisdictions that have magnetometers available for use 

14 at their courthouses.’’. 

15 SEC. 3. STATE JUSTICE INSTITUTE. 

16 The State Justice Institute Act of 1984 is amended— 

17 (1) in section 203(b)(1) (42 U.S.C. 

18 10702(b)(1)), in the matter preceding subparagraph 

19 (A), by inserting ‘‘, safe,’’ after ‘‘a fair’’; and 

20 (2) in section 206 (42 U.S.C. 10705)— 

21 (A) in subsection (c)— 

22 (i) in paragraph (14)— 

23 (I) by inserting ‘‘to’’ before ‘‘con24 duct’’; and 

25 (II) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (ii) by redesignating paragraph (15) 

2 as paragraph (16); and 

3 (iii) by inserting after paragraph (14) 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(15) to improve the safety and security of 

6 State and local courts; and’’; and 

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

8 ‘‘(g) MAGNETOMETERS.—In the case of a grant 

9 awarded under this section to be used as described in sub10 section (c)(15), if the State or local court applying for the 

11 grant does not have magnetometers available for use, not 

12 less than $300 nor more than $1,000 of the matching 

13 fund required under subsection (d) of the State or local 

14 court shall be used to acquire a magnetometer.’’. 

15 SEC. 4. SECURITY EQUIPMENT. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter III of chapter 5 of 

17 title 40, United States Code, is amended by adding after 

18 section 559 the following: 

19 ‘‘§ 560. Surplus security equipment for State and 

20 local courts 

21 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

22 ‘‘(1) the term ‘surplus security equipment’ 

23 means surplus property that is used to detect weap24 ons, including metal detectors, wands, and baggage 

25 screening devices; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) the term ‘qualifying State or local court2 house’ means a courthouse of a State or local gov3 ernment that has less security equipment than the 

4 security needs of the courthouse require. 

5 ‘‘(b) DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS SECURITY EQUIP6 MENT.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

8 provision of this subchapter, the Administrator of 

9 General Services shall ensure that a qualifying State 

10 or local courthouse has an opportunity to request to 

11 receive surplus security equipment for use at the 

12 qualifying State or local courthouse before the sur13 plus security equipment is made available to any 

14 other individual or entity under this subchapter. 

15 ‘‘(2) DISPOSAL.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara17 graph (B), upon request by a qualifying State 

18 or local courthouse for surplus security equip19 ment for use at the qualifying State or local 

20 courthouse, the surplus security equipment shall 

21 be made available to the qualifying State or 

22 local courthouse without cost, except for any 

23 costs of shipping, handling, and maintenance. 

24 ‘‘(B) MULTIPLE REQUESTS.—If more than 

25 1 qualifying State or local courthouse requests 


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1 a particular piece of surplus security equip2 ment, the surplus security equipment shall be 

3 distributed based on need, as determined by the 

4 Administrator of General Services, with priority 

5 given to a qualifying State or local courthouse 

6 that has no security equipment.’’. 

7 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 

8 The table of sections for chapter 5 of title 40, United 

9 States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relat10 ing to section 559 the following: 

‘‘560. Surplus security equipment for State and local courts.’’. 

Æ 


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