Recruit and Retain Act
Bill: S.5103 | Sponsor: Sen. Fischer, Deb (R-NE)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Recruit and Retain Act
This bill expands the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program to support recruitment efforts by law enforcement agencies.
Specifically, the bill expands the COPS program by
The bill requires DOJ to establish guidance for understaffed law enforcement agencies applying for COPS grants.
The Government Accountability Office must study and report on the effects of recruitment and attrition rates on federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies.

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
 authorize law enforcement agencies to use COPS grants for recruitment 
                  activities, 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 ``Recruit and Retain Act''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVING COPS GRANTS FOR POLICE HIRING PURPOSES.

    (a) Grant Use Expansion.--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 (5) through (23) as 
        paragraphs (6) through (24), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
            ``(5) to support hiring activities by law enforcement 
        agencies experiencing declines in officer recruitment 
        applications by reducing application-related fees, such as fees 
        for background checks, psychological evaluations, and 
        testing.''.
    (b) Technical Amendment.--Section 1701(b)(23) of title I of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
10381(b)(23)) is amended by striking ``(21)'' and inserting ``(22)''.

SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.

    Section 1701 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (i) through (m) as 
        subsections (j) through (n), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (h) the following:
    ``(i) Administrative Costs.--Not more than 2 percent of a grant 
made for the hiring or rehiring of additional career law enforcement 
officers may be used for costs incurred to administer such grant.''.

SEC. 4. PIPELINE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.

    Section 1701 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amended by inserting after 
subsection (n) the following:
    ``(o) COPS Pipeline Partnership Program.--
            ``(1) Eligible entity defined.--In this subsection, the 
        term `eligible entity' means a law enforcement agency in 
        partnership with not less than 1 educational institution, which 
        may include 1 or any combination of the following:
                    ``(A) An elementary school.
                    ``(B) A post-secondary school.
                    ``(C) An institution of higher education.
                    ``(D) A Hispanic-serving institution.
                    ``(E) A historically Black college or university.
                    ``(F) A Tribal college.
            ``(2) Grants.--The Attorney General shall award competitive 
        grants to eligible entities for recruiting activities that--
                    ``(A) support substantial student engagement for 
                the exploration of potential future career 
                opportunities in law enforcement;
                    ``(B) strengthen recruitment by law enforcement 
                agencies experiencing a decline in recruits, or high 
                rates of resignations or retirements;
                    ``(C) enhance community interactions between local 
                youth and law enforcement agencies that are designed to 
                increase recruiting; and
                    ``(D) otherwise improve the outcomes of local law 
                enforcement recruitment through activities such as 
                dedicated programming for students, work-based learning 
                opportunities, project-based learning, mentoring, 
                community liaisons, career or job fairs, work site 
                visits, job shadowing, apprenticeships, or skills-based 
                internships.
            ``(3) Funding.--Of the amounts made available to carry out 
        this part for a fiscal year, the Attorney General may use not 
        more than $3,000,000 to carry out this subsection.''.

SEC. 5. COPS GRANT GUIDANCE FOR AGENCIES OPERATING BELOW BUDGETED 
              STRENGTH.

    Section 1704 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10384) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
    ``(d) Guidance for Understaffed Law Enforcement Agencies.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Covered applicant.--The term `covered 
                applicant' means an applicant for a hiring grant under 
                this part seeking funding for a law enforcement agency 
                operating below the budgeted strength of the law 
                enforcement agency.
                    ``(B) Budgeted strength.--The term `budgeted 
                strength' means the employment of the maximum number of 
                sworn law enforcement officers the budget of a law 
                enforcement agency allows the agency to employ.
            ``(2) Procedures.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish 
        consistent procedures for covered applicants, including 
        guidance that--
                    ``(A) clarifies that covered applicants remain 
                eligible for funding under this part; and
                    ``(B) enables covered applicants to attest that the 
                funding from a grant awarded under this part is not 
                being used by the law enforcement agency to supplant 
                State or local funds, as described in subsection (a).
            ``(3) Paperwork reduction.--In developing the procedures 
        and guidance under paragraph (2), the Attorney General shall 
        take measures to reduce paperwork requirements for grants to 
        covered applicants.''.

SEC. 6. STUDY ON POLICE RECRUITMENT.

    (a) Study.--
            (1) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United 
        States shall conduct a study to consider the comprehensive 
        effects of recruitment and attrition rates on Federal, State, 
        Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies in the United 
        States, to identify--
                    (A) the primary reasons that law enforcement 
                officers--
                            (i) join law enforcement agencies; and
                            (ii) resign or retire from law enforcement 
                        agencies;
                    (B) how the reasons described in subparagraph (A) 
                may have changed over time;
                    (C) the effects of recruitment and attrition on 
                public safety;
                    (D) the effects of electronic media on recruitment 
                efforts;
                    (E) barriers to the recruitment and retention of 
                Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers; and
                    (F) recommendations for potential ways to address 
                barriers to the recruitment and retention of law 
                enforcement officers, including the barriers identified 
                in subparagraph (E).
            (2) Representative cross-section.--
                    (A) In general.--The Comptroller General of the 
                United States shall endeavor to ensure accurate 
                representation of law enforcement agencies in the study 
                conducted pursuant to paragraph (1) by surveying a 
                broad cross-section of law enforcement agencies--
                            (i) from various regions of the United 
                        States;
                            (ii) of different sizes; and
                            (iii) from rural, suburban, and urban 
                        jurisdictions.
                    (B) Methods description.--The study conducted 
                pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include in the report 
                under subsection (b) a description of the methods used 
                to identify a representative sample of law enforcement 
                agencies.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall--
            (1) submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate 
        and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
        Representatives a report containing the study conducted under 
        subsection (a); and
            (2) make the report submitted under paragraph (1) publicly 
        available online.
    (c) Confidentiality.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
shall ensure that the study conducted under subsection (a) protects the 
privacy of participating law enforcement agencies.
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