Supporting Innovation in Public Safety Act
Bill: S.5207 | Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Tina (D-MN)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Supporting Innovation in Public Safety Act
This bill directs the Department of Justice to award competitive grants to at least 100 state, local, and tribal governments and nonprofit organizations to perform demonstration projects that support programs and policies to improve public safety, including those that improve mental health crisis response.

To authorize the Attorney General to make grants to improve public 
                    safety, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Innovation in Public 
Safety Act''.

SEC. 2. INNOVATION IN SAFETY DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
        the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary 
        of the House of Representatives.
            (2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a State government;
                    (B) a local government;
                    (C) a Tribal government; and
                    (D) a nonprofit organization.
            (3) Law enforcement agency.--The term ``law enforcement 
        agency'' means any government agency that has the principal 
        functions of--
                    (A) the prevention, detection, and investigation of 
                crime; and
                    (B) the apprehension of alleged criminal offenders.
            (4) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit 
        organization'' means--
                    (A) an organization described in section 501(c)(3) 
                of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from 
                tax under section 501(a) of such code; and
                    (B) an organization that is a nonprofit 
                organization under the law of the State in which the 
                organization is located.
            (5) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the 
        United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
        Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American 
        Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and 
        any possession of the United States.
            (6) Tribal government.--The term ``Tribal government'' 
        means the government of an Indian tribe (as defined in section 
        4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act 
        (25 U.S.C. 5304)).
    (b) Grants Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--The Attorney General shall award grants, 
        on a competitive basis, to not less than 100 eligible entities 
        to perform a demonstration project described in paragraph (2).
            (2) Demonstration projects.--An eligible entity receiving a 
        grant under paragraph (1) shall perform a demonstration project 
        that supports the development and implementation of programs 
        and policies that improve public safety with innovative 
        strategies, including--
                    (A) improving mental health crisis response;
                    (B) reassigning some functions of law enforcement 
                officers to unarmed public employees;
                    (C) creating programs designed to reduce the 
                incidence of violence, harassment, and civil rights 
                violations by law enforcement officers;
                    (D) reducing the financial and operational reliance 
                of law enforcement agencies on the collection of fines, 
                fees, and other charges; and
                    (E) identifying, and making publicly available a 
                report relating to, potential--
                            (i) reforms to State criminal statutes in 
                        order to--
                                    (I) eliminate unnecessary fines, 
                                fees, and other charges; and
                                    (II) eliminate or reduce mandatory 
                                minimum sentences; and
                            (ii) reforms to State criminal statutes and 
                        local ordinances that--
                                    (I) contribute to the 
                                criminalization of poverty; or
                                    (II) are enforced in a racially 
                                disparate manner.
            (3) Duration.--A demonstration project performed under 
        paragraph (2) shall be performed for a period of not less than 
        5 years.
            (4) Limitation on receipt and use of funds.--A law 
        enforcement agency may not receive or use any funds from a 
        grant awarded under this subsection.
            (5) Administration.--An eligible entity that receives a 
        grant under this section may enter into an agreement with a 
        nonprofit organization to--
                    (A) administer the grant; or
                    (B) provide support to the eligible entity in the 
                administration of the grant.
    (c) Tribal Government Allocations.--In awarding grants under 
subsection (b), the Attorney General shall allocate to eligible 
entities that are Tribal governments not less than 10 percent of the 
funds that are made available to carry out that subsection.
    (d) Data Collection.--
            (1) In general.--The Attorney General shall collect the 
        following data for the jurisdiction of an eligible entity 
        performing a demonstration project with a grant under 
        subsection (b) for each year during which the eligible entity 
        performs the demonstration project:
                    (A) Population characteristics, including 
                statistics on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, 
                average and median income levels, and poverty.
                    (B) Average educational attainment.
                    (C) Employment rates.
                    (D) Housing market characteristics.
                    (E) Demographic characteristics of individuals who 
                are arrested, charged, and convicted of crimes during 
                the period of performance of the demonstration project 
                by the eligible entity.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until the date 
        on which each demonstration project performed under subsection 
        (b) is complete, the Attorney General shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a report that includes--
                    (A) the total number of eligible entities 
                performing demonstration projects with a grant under 
                subsection (b);
                    (B) a description and status assessment of each 
                demonstration project described in subparagraph (A); 
                and
                    (C) the data collected under paragraph (1).
    (e) Evaluation.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date on 
        which the Secretary awards the first grant under subsection 
        (b)(1), and annually thereafter until the date on which each 
        demonstration project performed under subsection (b) is 
        complete, the Attorney General, in consultation with the heads 
        of other appropriate agencies, shall submit to the appropriate 
        congressional committees an evaluation relating to the 
        demonstration project performed by each eligible entity 
        receiving a grant under subsection (b).
            (2) Contents.--The evaluation required under paragraph (1) 
        shall include, for each eligible entity performing a 
        demonstration project with a grant under subsection (b)--
                    (A) how the demonstration project--
                            (i) has saved costs for the eligible 
                        entity;
                            (ii) has contributed to a reduced incidence 
                        of use of force by law enforcement officers in 
                        the jurisdiction of the eligible entity;
                            (iii) has contributed to improved relations 
                        between community members and law enforcement 
                        agencies and officers in the jurisdiction of 
                        the eligible entity; and
                            (iv) has met the performance goals of the 
                        eligible entity; and
                    (B) other appropriate analysis of the outcome of 
                the demonstration project.
            (3) Use of data.--In preparing the evaluation required 
        under paragraph (1), the Attorney General shall use the data 
        collected under subsection (d).
            (4) Public availability.--The evaluation required under 
        paragraph (1) shall be publicly available.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated--
            (1) to carry out subsection (b) $500,000,000; and
            (2) to carry out subsections (d) and (e) $100,000 for each 
        of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
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