Refund the Police Act of 2022

To authorize grants for States and units of local government to reverse law enforcement efforts that have been restricted, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Refund the Police Act of 2022 2. Grants to reverse restrictions on law enforcement (a) Authorization The Attorney General, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, is authorized to make grants to eligible States and units of local government for the purposes described in subsection (d). (b) Eligibility In order to be eligible for a grant under this section, a State or unit of local government shall meet each of the following requirements: (1) Law enforcement policies (A) In general A State or unit of local government shall certify to the Attorney General that such State or unit of local government— (i) does not have in effect any law requiring a heightened standard for use of force; and (ii) has taken steps, in the previous year, to expand efforts to hire and retain law enforcement officers. (B) Heightened use of force standards defined For the purposes of this subsection, the term heightened standard for use of force (i) means a standard requiring law enforcement officers to use more than reasonable care in determining whether to use physical force against another person; and (ii) includes a standard requiring a law enforcement officer to leave an area instead of using force in any case in which there is no threat of imminent harm and no crime has been committed, is being committed, or is about to be committed. (2) Drive-by shootings A State or unit of local government shall certify to the Attorney General that such State or unit of local government has not taken steps in the previous year to eliminate drive-by shooting as a basis for murder in the first degree (as defined in section 1111(a) of title 18, United States Code). (c) Application To receive a grant under this section, a State or unit of local government shall submit to the Attorney General at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Attorney General may require, including the certification described in subsection (b). (d) Use of funds A State or unit of local government that receives a grant under this section may use the grant for the purposes described under section 1701(b) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 34 U.S.C. 10381 (e) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2028. (f) Definitions In this section, the terms State unit of local government 34 U.S.C. 10251

Summary: Refund the Police Act of 2022 This bill authorizes the Bureau of Justice Assistance within the Department of Justice to make grants to state and local governments for the same purposes as grants under the Community Oriented Policing Services Program. To be eligible for a grant, a state or local government must certify that it does not have a law requiring a heighted standard for use of force and has taken steps to expand efforts to hire and retain law enforcement officers, and has not taken steps to eliminate drive-by shootings as a basis for first degree murder.