I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7133 
To encourage State and local demilitarization by incentivizing the return 
of purchases made through the LESO program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 8, 2020 
Ms. HAALAND (for herself, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. GALLEGO, Ms. 
BASS, Mr. COHEN, Ms. DEAN, Mrs. HAYES, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY 
of New York, Ms. NORTON, Mr. SAN NICOLAS, Ms. SCANLON, and Mrs. 
WATSON COLEMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on 
Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To encourage State and local demilitarization by incentivizing 
the return of purchases made through the LESO pro-
gram, 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 ‘‘Police Receiving Overly 
Traumatizing Equipment Changes Today Act’’ or the 
‘‘PROTECT Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Under section 2576a of title 10, United 
States Code, the Department of Defense is author-
ized to provide excess property to local law enforce-
ment agencies. The Defense Logistics Agency ad-
ministers such section by operating the Law En-
forcement Support Office (referred to in this Act as 
‘‘LESO’’) program. 
(2) New and used material, including mine-re-
sistant ambush-protected vehicles and weapons de-
termined by the Department of Defense to be ‘‘mili-
tary grade’’ are transferred to Federal, State, tribal, 
and local law enforcement agencies through the pro-
gram. 
(3) As of September 30, 2019, the Department 
of Defense, through the LESO, as reported through 
public 
information, 
has 
transferred 
$1,796,844,591.74 worth of equipment with over 
1,474,319 units of goods. 
(4) Research has shown that as transfers of 
militarization equipment increase in States, reputa-
tion of police officers decreases and the increased 
equipment shows no change in the crime rate. 
(5) Research shows that police officers are more 
likely to be harmed by civilians when States receive 
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certain transfers and police frequently engage in vio-
lent actions against civilians. 
(6) On January 16, 2015, President Barack 
Obama issued Executive Order 13688 to better co-
ordinate and regulate the Federal transfer of mili-
tary weapons and equipment to State, local, and 
tribal law enforcement agencies and stated that ‘‘the 
show of force typically associated with military oper-
ations, when employed by civilian police, can weaken 
community trust, especially in communities with a 
history of strained relationships between the commu-
nity and local law enforcement’’. 
(7) In July 2017, the Government Account-
ability Office reported that the program’s internal 
controls were inadequate to prevent fraudulent appli-
cants’ access to the program. 
SEC. 3. LIMITING SALE OR DONATION OF EXCESS PROP-
ERTY FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES. 
Section 2576a of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)— 
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
(A), by striking ‘‘, including small arms and 
ammunition,’’; and 
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(B) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘counterdrug, counterterrorism, and border se-
curity activities’’ and inserting ‘‘counterter-
rorism’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘counterdrug, 
counterterrorism, or border security activities’’ and 
inserting ‘‘counterterrorism’’. 
SEC. 4. GEAR FOR GRANTS PROGRAM. 
Part A of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and 
Safe Streets Act of 1968 is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 110. DEMILITARIZATION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT 
AGENCIES. 
‘‘(a) PRIORITY.—In awarding funds under covered 
grant programs, priority shall be given to States and units 
of local government with law enforcement agencies that, 
in the 12 months prior to the date on which the applica-
tion for the covered grant program is submitted— 
‘‘(1) have no transfers from the Department of 
Defense; or 
‘‘(2) have— 
‘‘(A) returned to the Department of De-
fense an appropriate number of transfers such 
that the value of transfers is equal to twice the 
value of the funds that the applicant would re-
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ceive under the applicable covered grant pro-
gram; and 
‘‘(B) not received transfers from the De-
partment of Defense in the 12 months prior to 
the date on which the grant is awarded. 
‘‘(b) COVERED GRANT PROGRAMS.—The programs 
referred to in subsection (a) are the following:: 
‘‘(1) The program under part Q of this title. 
‘‘(2) Any other grant program carried out by 
the Department of Justice for the benefit of law en-
forcement agencies that the Attorney General con-
siders appropriate. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) TRANSFERS.—The term ‘transfers’ means 
the equipment provided under section 2576a of title 
10, United States Code, which includes the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) Controlled firearms, ammunition, 
bayonets, grenade launchers, grenades (includ-
ing stun and flash-bang), and explosives. 
‘‘(B) Controlled vehicles, highly mobile 
multiwheeled vehicles, mine-resistant ambush- 
protected vehicles, trucks, truck dump, truck 
utility, and truck carryall. 
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‘‘(C) Drones that are armored, weaponized, 
or both. 
‘‘(D) Controlled aircrafts that— 
‘‘(i) are combat configured or combat 
coded; or 
‘‘(ii) have no established commercial 
flight application. 
‘‘(E) Silencers. 
‘‘(F) Long-range acoustic devices. 
‘‘(G) Items in the Federal Supply Class of 
banned items. 
‘‘(2) VALUE OF TRANSFERS.—The term ‘value 
of such transfers’ means the fair market value of the 
equipment described in section 2576(a) of title 10, 
United States Code, at the time of transfer.’’. 
SEC. 5. GRANT AUTHORIZATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General may make 
grants to States, units of local government, Indian tribal 
governments, or other public and private entities, or to 
any multijurisdictional or regional consortia of such enti-
ties to implement one or more of the programs and 
trainings described in subsection (b). 
(b) PROGRAMS.—The programs and trainings de-
scribed in this subsection consist of the following: 
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