I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6973 
To permit COPS grants to be used for the purpose of increasing the 
compensation and hiring of law enforcement officers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 11, 2024 
Mr. LALOTA (for himself, Ms. SPANBERGER, Mrs. KIM of California, and Ms. 
PEREZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To permit COPS grants to be used for the purpose of in-
creasing the compensation and hiring of law enforcement 
officers, 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 ‘‘COPS on the Beat 
Grant Program Reauthorization and Parity Act of 2024’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The President’s Task Force on 21st Cen-
tury Policing highlighted the importance of hiring 
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law enforcement officers who reflect the diversity 
and values of the community, and who have both the 
mindset and the skills needed to engage with the 
community. 
(2) Diverse workforces can be more effective, 
creative, and resilient than homogenous workforces, 
and teams with broader perspectives result in better 
decision-making and problem-solving practices. Re-
cruiting a diverse pool of candidates includes quali-
fied individuals from different races, genders, 
ethnicities, and cultural backgrounds. 
(3) Effective law enforcement recruitment prac-
tices can help engender trust, develop good relations 
with their communities, and ensure that the officers 
they hire can best serve those communities. Recruit-
ment efforts should start in the community, and law 
enforcement agencies should consider developing 
youth programs to attract younger generations. This 
could 
include 
Explorer 
programs, 
internships 
through local schools, cadet academies, university 
partnerships, and youth mentorship programs that 
foster relationships between young adults and de-
partments. Not only do these programs develop en-
thusiasm for a law enforcement career, they can also 
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build relationships between law enforcement agencies 
and the communities they serve. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the COPS Office is uniquely suited to empower 
local law enforcement agencies to fulfill recommendations 
related to law enforcement hiring practices, including 
agencies being reflective of the communities they serve, 
both demographically and in values and vision, and pos-
sessing the mindset and skills needed to engage with the 
community. 
SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF COPS ON THE BEAT GRANT 
PROGRAMS. 
(a) REAUTHORIZATION
OF COPS ON
THE BEAT 
GRANT PROGRAM.—Section 1001(a)(11)(A) of title I of 
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 
(34 U.S.C. 10261(a)(11)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘for 
each of fiscal years 2006 through 2009’’ and inserting 
‘‘for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2034’’. 
SEC. 4. RURAL COMMUNITY ACCESS TO COPS GRANTS. 
(a) USES OF GRANT AMOUNTS.—Section 1701(b) of 
title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act 
of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(b)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 
(23) as paragraphs (4) through (24), respectively; 
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(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) in the case of any State or unit of local 
government that has a median household income of 
less than 70 percent of the national median house-
hold income and qualifies for a reduced contribution 
under subsection (g)(2), to increase wages of career 
law enforcement officers to not more than 80 per-
cent of the national median household income;’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (23), as redesignated, by 
striking ‘‘through (21)’’ and inserting ‘‘through 
(22)’’. 
(b) 
PREFERENTIAL
CONSIDERATION.—Section 
1701(c) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(c)) is amended— 
(1) by striking paragraph (1); and 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 
paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively. 
(c) COST SHARE.—Section 1701(g) of title I of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
U.S.C. 10381(g)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(g) MATCHING FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the portion of the costs of a program, 
project, or activity provided by a grant under sub-
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section (a) may not exceed 75 percent, unless the 
Attorney General waives, wholly or in part, the re-
quirement under this subsection of a non-Federal 
contribution to the costs of a program, project, or 
activity. In relation to a grant for a period exceeding 
1 year for hiring or rehiring or increasing the com-
pensation of career law enforcement officers, the 
Federal share shall decrease from year to year for 
up to 5 years, looking toward the continuation of the 
increased hiring and compensation level using State 
or local sources of funding following the conclusion 
of Federal support, as provided in an approved plan 
pursuant to section 1702(c)(8). 
‘‘(2) 
REDUCED
NON-FEDERAL
CONTRIBU-
TION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The portion of the 
costs of a program, project, or activity provided 
by a grant under subsection (a), in any State 
or unit of local government described in sub-
paragraph (B), may not exceed— 
‘‘(i) 90 percent for the first year of 
the grant; 
‘‘(ii) 85 percent for the second year of 
the grant; 
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