I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4893 
To prohibit a State or local government from using highway safety program 
funds for traffic control or traffic enforcement if such State or local 
government defunds the police, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 30, 2021 
Mr. NEHLS (for himself and Mr. CRAWFORD) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To prohibit a State or local government from using highway 
safety program funds for traffic control or traffic en-
forcement if such State or local government defunds 
the police, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Blocking Lawlessness 
from Undermining Enforcement Act’’ or the ‘‘BLUE 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS. 
(a) HIGHWAY SAFETY PROGRAMS.—Section 402(c) 
of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(5) TRAFFIC CONTROL OR TRAFFIC ENFORCE-
MENT.— 
‘‘(A) PROHIBITION.—A State, local govern-
ment, or political subdivision of a State, may 
not expend funds apportioned to such State 
under this section, including funds transferred 
pursuant to section 405(a)(8), for traffic con-
trol or traffic enforcement if such State, local 
government, or political subdivision defunds the 
police. 
‘‘(B) EXEMPTION.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary 
may grant an exemption from the require-
ments under subparagraph (A) if the 
State, local government, or political sub-
division that defunds the police submits a 
written request to the Secretary and the 
Secretary approves such request. 
‘‘(ii) CONTENTS.—A request sub-
mitted under clause (i) shall include— 
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‘‘(I) the justification for the re-
quested exemption from the require-
ments of subparagraph (A); and 
‘‘(II) a description of amount of 
funds a State, local government, or 
political subdivision intends to use for 
traffic control or traffic enforcement. 
‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 
in this paragraph may be construed to result in 
a reduction in the amount of funding a State 
may receive under this section. 
‘‘(D) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 
‘‘(i) DEFUND THE POLICE.— 
‘‘(I) IN
GENERAL.—The term 
‘defund the police’ means a situation 
in which— 
‘‘(aa) a State, local govern-
ment, or political subdivision of a 
State has a police budget for— 
‘‘(AA) the fiscal year 
during which this paragraph 
is enacted that is lower in 
amount than such police 
budget for the fiscal year 
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that includes January 1, 
2000; or 
‘‘(BB) any fiscal year 
following the fiscal year dur-
ing which this paragraph is 
enacted that is lower in 
amount than such police 
budget for the previous fis-
cal year; and 
‘‘(bb) such State, local gov-
ernment, or political subdivision 
has reallocated such police budg-
et funds to other government 
agencies, evidenced by public 
statements, press releases, budg-
et justifications, budget docu-
mentation, or any other mate-
rials. 
‘‘(II) EXCLUSIONS.—The term 
‘defund the police’ does not include a 
situation in which— 
‘‘(aa) a State, local govern-
ment, or political subdivision of a 
State reduces funding for a po-
lice department if the reduction 
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of such funding is part of an 
overall budget reduction; or 
‘‘(bb) a police chief of a po-
lice department has decided to 
reallocate funds made available 
to such police department to psy-
chological and mental health pro-
grams. 
‘‘(ii) TRAFFIC CONTROL OR TRAFFIC 
ENFORCEMENT.—The term ‘traffic control 
or traffic enforcement’ means a service 
provided by law enforcement officers in a 
State, local government, or political sub-
division of a State that includes directing 
traffic, addressing traffic infractions on 
roadways, or serving in a traffic or roads 
policing unit enforcing rules of the road.’’. 
(b) NATIONAL PRIORITY SAFETY PROGRAMS.—Sec-
tion 405(a) of title 23, United States Code, is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(11) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, a State, local govern-
ment, or political subdivision of a State receiv-
ing a grant under this section may not use such 
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grant for traffic control or traffic enforcement 
(as 
such 
term 
is 
defined 
in 
section 
402(c)(5)(D)) if such State, local government, 
or political subdivision defunds the police (as 
such term is defined in section 402(c)(5)(D)). 
‘‘(B) EXEMPTION.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary 
may grant an exemption from the require-
ments under subparagraph (A) if the 
State, local government, or political sub-
division that defunds the police submits a 
written request to the Secretary and the 
Secretary approves such request. 
‘‘(ii) CONTENTS.—A request sub-
mitted under clause (i) shall include— 
‘‘(I) the justification for the re-
quested exemption from the require-
ments of subparagraph (A); and 
‘‘(II) a description of amount of 
funds a State, local government, or 
political subdivision intends to use for 
traffic control or traffic enforcement. 
‘‘(C) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 
in this paragraph may be construed to result in 
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a reduction in the amount of funding a State 
may receive under this section.’’. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
of the United States shall submit to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate a report describing the 
implementation of, and compliance with, the amendments 
made by this Act. 
Æ 
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