I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5211 
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
provide that COPS grant funds may be used for local law enforcement 
recruits to attend schools or academies if the recruits agree to serve 
in precincts of law enforcement agencies in their communities. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 
Mr. CORREA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 
Act of 1968 to provide that COPS grant funds may 
be used for local law enforcement recruits to attend 
schools or academies if the recruits agree to serve in 
precincts of law enforcement agencies in their commu-
nities. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. STRONG COMMUNITIES PROGRAM. 
Section 1701 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amended— 
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(1) by redesignating subsection (m) as sub-
section (n); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (l) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(m) COPS STRONG COMMUNITIES PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.— 
‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi-
ble entity’ means— 
‘‘(i) an institution of higher education, 
as defined in section 101 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), 
that, in coordination or through an agree-
ment with a local law enforcement agency, 
offers a law enforcement training program; 
or 
‘‘(ii) a local law enforcement agency 
that offers a law enforcement training pro-
gram. 
‘‘(B) LOCAL
LAW
ENFORCEMENT
AGEN-
CY.—The term ‘local law enforcement agency’ 
means an agency of a State, unit of local gov-
ernment, or Indian Tribe that is authorized by 
law or by a government agency to engage in or 
supervise the prevention, detection, investiga-
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tion, or prosecution of any violation of criminal 
law. 
‘‘(2) GRANTS.—The Attorney General may use 
amounts otherwise appropriated to carry out this 
section for a fiscal year (beginning with fiscal year 
2022) to make competitive grants to local law en-
forcement agencies to be used for recruits to attend 
eligible entities if the recruits agree to serve in law 
enforcement agencies in their communities. 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant 
under this subsection, each recruit described in 
paragraph (2) shall— 
‘‘(A) serve as a full-time law enforcement 
officer for a total of not fewer than 4 years dur-
ing the 8-year period after the date on which 
the recruit completes a law enforcement train-
ing program for which the recruit received ben-
efits; 
‘‘(B) complete their service in a local law 
enforcement agency located within— 
‘‘(i) 5 miles of the residence of the re-
cruit where the recruit has resided for not 
fewer than 5 years; or 
‘‘(ii) if the recruit resides in a county 
with less than 100,000 residents, within 20 
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miles of the residence of the recruit where 
the recruit has resided for not fewer than 
5 years; and 
‘‘(C) submit evidence of employment of the 
recruit to the eligible agency in the form of a 
certification by the chief administrative officer 
of the local law enforcement agency where the 
recruit is employed. 
‘‘(4) REPAYMENT.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If a recruit does not 
complete the service described in paragraph (3), 
the recruit shall submit to the local law enforce-
ment agency an amount equal to any benefits 
the recruit received under this subsection. 
‘‘(B) REGULATIONS.—The Attorney Gen-
eral shall promulgate regulations that establish 
categories of extenuating circumstances under 
which a recruit may be excused from repayment 
under subparagraph (A).’’. 
Æ 
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