I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9180 
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
provide education assistance to public safety officers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 26, 2024 
Ms. CARAVEO (for herself, Mr. LAWLER, and Mr. JAMES) 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 education assistance to public 
safety 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 ‘‘Educational and Ca-
reer Opportunities for Public Safety Act of 2024’’ or the 
‘‘EdCOPS Act of 2024’’. 
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SEC. 2. PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER EDUCATION ASSISTANCE 
PROGRAM. 
Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10101 et seq.) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘PART PP—PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER EDUCATION 
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 
‘‘SEC. 3061. PURPOSE. 
‘‘The purpose of this part is to improve recruitment 
and retention of public safety officers employed by State, 
local, tribal, and regional law enforcement agencies by pro-
viding assistance for the pursuit of a program of higher 
education. 
‘‘SEC. 3062. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this part: 
‘‘(1) CHILD.—The term ‘child’ means a nat-
ural, illegitimate, or adopted child or stepchild of an 
eligible public safety officer. 
‘‘(2) EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION; PROGRAM OF 
EDUCATION.—The terms ‘educational institution’ 
and ‘program of education’ have the meanings given 
the terms in section 1217. 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER.—The 
term ‘eligible public safety officer’ means a public 
safety officer that— 
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‘‘(A) has served as a public safety officer 
for not less than 8 years for a single employer 
prior to the date of submission of an applica-
tion under section 3064; and 
‘‘(B) commits to serving as a public safety 
officer with the employer described in subpara-
graph (A) during the 4-year period following 
the date of submission of an application under 
section 3064. 
‘‘(4) PUBLIC
SAFETY
OFFICER.—The term 
‘public safety officer’ has the meaning given the 
term in section 1204. 
‘‘SEC. 3063. BASIC ELIGIBILITY. 
‘‘(a) BENEFITS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General shall 
provide financial assistance to a person who attends 
a program of education and is— 
‘‘(A) an eligible public safety officer; or 
‘‘(B) a child of an eligible public safety of-
ficer to whom an eligible public safety officer 
transfers eligibility for financial assistance in 
accordance with paragraph (4)(A). 
‘‘(2) FORM AND AMOUNT.—Except as provided 
in paragraph (3), financial assistance under this 
part shall— 
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‘‘(A) consist of direct payments to a person 
described in paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(B) be computed on the basis set forth in 
section 3532 of title 38, United States Code. 
‘‘(3) REDUCTION.—The financial assistance re-
ferred to in paragraph (2) shall be reduced by the 
amount, if any, determined under section 3065(b). 
‘‘(4) TRANSFER OF ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—An eligible public 
safety officer may elect to transfer eligibility for 
part or all of the financial assistance for which 
the eligible public safety officer is eligible under 
this part to an individual described in para-
graph (1)(B). 
‘‘(B) APPROVAL.—An eligible public safety 
officer shall approve the receipt of financial as-
sistance under this part by a person who is not 
the eligible public safety officer. 
‘‘(b) DURATION OF BENEFITS.—The Attorney Gen-
eral may not provide financial assistance under this part 
to a person for a period in excess of 45 months of full- 
time education or training or a proportional period of time 
for a part-time program. 
‘‘(c) AGE LIMITATION FOR CHILDREN.—The Attor-
ney General may not provide financial assistance under 
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this part to a child of an eligible public safety officer after 
the date of the 27th birthday of the child. 
‘‘SEC. 3064. APPLICATIONS; APPROVAL. 
‘‘(a) APPLICATION.—A person seeking assistance 
under this part shall submit to the Attorney General an 
application in such form and containing such information 
as the Attorney General reasonably may require. 
‘‘(b) APPROVAL.—The Attorney General shall ap-
prove an application for assistance under this part unless 
the Attorney General finds that— 
‘‘(1) the person is not eligible for, is no longer 
eligible for, or is not entitled to the assistance for 
which application is made; 
‘‘(2) the person’s selected educational institu-
tion fails to meet a requirement established in a reg-
ulation implementing this part for eligibility; 
‘‘(3) the person’s enrollment in or pursuit of 
the educational program selected would fail to meet 
the criteria in a regulation implementing this part 
for programs; or 
‘‘(4) the person already is qualified by previous 
education or training for the educational, profes-
sional, or vocational objective for which the edu-
cational program is offered. 
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‘‘(c) NOTIFICATION.—The Attorney General shall no-
tify a person applying for assistance under this part of 
approval or disapproval of the application in writing. 
‘‘SEC. 3065. REGULATIONS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General may pro-
mulgate reasonable and necessary regulations to imple-
ment this part. 
‘‘(b) 
SLIDING
SCALE.—Notwithstanding 
section 
3064(b), the Attorney General shall issue regulations re-
garding the use of a sliding scale based on financial need 
to ensure that a person eligible to receive financial assist-
ance under this part who is in financial need receives pri-
ority in receiving funds under this part. 
‘‘SEC. 3066. DISCONTINUATION FOR UNSATISFACTORY CON-
DUCT OR PROGRESS. 
‘‘The Attorney General may discontinue assistance 
under this part to a person if the Attorney General finds 
that, according to the regularly prescribed standards and 
practices of an educational institution attended by the per-
son, the person fails to maintain satisfactory progress as 
described in section 484(c) of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1091(c)). 
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‘‘SEC. 3067. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this part such sums as may be necessary.’’. 
Æ 
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