I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 847 
To provide funding to State and local law enforcement agencies to combat 
auto theft and stolen automobile trafficking, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 6, 2023 
Ms. SHERRILL (for herself, Mr. BACON, Ms. CRAIG, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. 
KIM of New Jersey, and Mr. TRONE) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To provide funding to State and local law enforcement agen-
cies to combat auto theft and stolen automobile traf-
ficking, 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 ‘‘Auto Theft Prevention 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. AUTO THEFT PREVENTION GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 60 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services of the De-
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partment of Justice shall establish an auto theft preven-
tion grant program (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Pro-
gram’’) to provide funding to State law enforcement agen-
cies and local law enforcement agencies to combat auto 
theft and stolen vehicle trafficking. 
(b) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—The Director shall make 
grants under the Program to the Attorney General of each 
State, with the amount awarded proportional to the overall 
level of auto thefts within each State in the year prior 
to the date of the disbursement of the grant. 
(c) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.— 
(1) LOCAL
LAW
ENFORCEMENT
AGENCIES.— 
The Attorney General of a State shall make at least 
50 percent of a grant awarded under the Program 
available as competitive subgrants to local law en-
forcement agencies to combat auto theft, with the 
amount awarded determined by prioritizing localities 
with a higher overall level of auto thefts in the year 
prior to the date of the disbursement of the grant. 
(2) STATE
LAW
ENFORCEMENT
AGENCIES.— 
The Attorney General of a State shall make at least 
25 percent of a grant awarded under the Program 
available to State law enforcement agencies to com-
bat auto theft. 
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(3) OTHER AMOUNTS.—The Attorney General 
of a State shall make any proportion of the grant 
awarded under the Program not allocated under 
paragraph (1) or (2) available as competitive sub-
grants to local law enforcement agencies or to State 
law enforcement agencies. Any subgrant made under 
this paragraph to a local law enforcement agency 
shall follow the prioritization under paragraph (1). 
(d) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—Amounts from a grant 
awarded under the Program may only be used for the pur-
pose of combating auto theft and combating stolen auto-
mobile trafficking, including— 
(1) purchasing equipment used to combat auto 
theft, such as law enforcement vehicles and license 
plate readers, and funding costs associated with that 
equipment, such as subscription fees and data stor-
age fees for license plate readers; 
(2) hiring additional law enforcement officers 
and support staff to combat auto theft; 
(3) funding overtime costs and additional com-
pensation for law enforcement officers and support 
staff involved in combating auto theft; 
(4) providing training for law enforcement offi-
cers and support staff to combat auto theft; 
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(5) providing resources for joint task forces es-
tablished to combat auto theft; 
(6) funding law enforcement data collection, 
data storage, and research activities related to com-
bating auto theft; and 
(7) funding for the administrative costs of ap-
plying for and implementing the grant, up to a max-
imum of 5 percent of the grant amount. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for each of fis-
cal years 2024 through 2028 to carry out the Program. 
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZED USES OF COPS GRANT 
PROGRAM FUNDS. 
Section 1701(b) of the Omnibus Crime Control and 
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(b)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by redesignating paragraph (23) as para-
graph (24); 
(2) in paragraph (22)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(21)’’ and inserting 
‘‘(22)’’; and 
(B) by redesignating paragraph (22) as 
paragraph (23); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (21), the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(22) to combat auto thefts and stolen auto-
mobile trafficking by purchasing equipment, hiring 
law enforcement officers and support staff, covering 
overtime and officer compensation costs, expanding 
access to training initiatives, funding joint task 
forces, and funding law enforcement data collection 
and research activities related to auto thefts;’’. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.—The 
term ‘‘local law enforcement agency’’ means any en-
tity administered by a locality that exists primarily 
to prevent and detect crime and enforce criminal 
laws. 
(2) LOCALITY.—The term ‘‘locality’’ means any 
city, county, township, town, borough, parish, vil-
lage, or other general purpose political subdivision of 
a State. 
(3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any 
State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Is-
lands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Common-
wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 
(4) STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.—The 
term ‘‘State law enforcement agency’’ means any 
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State entity that exists primarily to prevent and de-
tect crime and enforce criminal laws. 
Æ 
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