Title: Local Courthouse Safety Act of 2018
Policy area: Law

Summary:
Local Courthouse Safety Act of 2018
This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize training and technical assistance to help law enforcement agencies anticipate, survive, and respond to violent encounters during the course of their duties, including duties related to security at courthouses.
Additionally, the bill amends the State Justice Institute Act of 1984 to allow grant funds awarded by the State Justice Institute to be used to improve the safety and security of state and local courts.
Finally, when the General Services Administration disposes of surplus security equipment (e.g., metal detectors), it must give priority to state and local courthouses.


[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5364 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5364

          To improve security at State and local courthouses.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 21, 2018

 Mr. Poe of Texas (for himself and Mr. Smith of Texas) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, 
 and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
          To improve security at State and local courthouses.

    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 ``Local Courthouse Safety Act of 
2018''.

SEC. 2. SECURITY TRAINING.

    Part D of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act 
of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3741 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``SEC. 403. PREVENTING VIOLENCE AGAINST LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ENSURING 
              OFFICER RESILIENCE AND SURVIVABILITY.

    ``The Director may carry out a training and technical assistance 
program designed to teach employees of State, local, and tribal law 
enforcement agencies how to anticipate, survive, and respond to violent 
encounters during the course of their duties, including duties relating 
to security at State, county, and tribal courthouses. If the Director 
offers a training program specifically designed to train participants 
on courthouse security issues, preference for admission into such 
program shall be given to employees of jurisdictions that have 
magnetometers available for use at their courthouses.''.

SEC. 3. STATE JUSTICE INSTITUTE.

    The State Justice Institute Act of 1984 is amended--
            (1) in section 203(b)(1) (42 U.S.C. 10702(b)(1)), in the 
        matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting ``, safe,'' 
        after ``a fair''; and
            (2) in section 206 (42 U.S.C. 10705)--
                    (A) in subsection (c)--
                            (i) in paragraph (14)--
                                    (I) by inserting ``to'' before 
                                ``conduct''; and
                                    (II) by striking ``and'' at the 
                                end;
                            (ii) by redesignating paragraph (15) as 
                        paragraph (16); and
                            (iii) by inserting after paragraph (14) the 
                        following:
            ``(15) to improve the safety and security of State and 
        local courts; and''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) Magnetometers.--In the case of a grant awarded under this 
section to be used as described in subsection (c)(15), if the State or 
local court applying for the grant does not have magnetometers 
available for use, not less than $300 nor more than $1,000 of the 
matching fund required under subsection (d) of the State or local court 
shall be used to acquire a magnetometer.''.

SEC. 4. SECURITY EQUIPMENT.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter III of chapter 5 of title 40, United 
States Code, is amended by adding after section 559 the following:
``Sec. 560. Surplus security equipment for State and local courts
    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `surplus security equipment' means surplus 
        property that is used to detect weapons, including metal 
        detectors, wands, and baggage screening devices; and
            ``(2) the term `qualifying State or local courthouse' means 
        a courthouse of a State or local government that has less 
        security equipment than the security needs of the courthouse 
        require.
    ``(b) Disposal of Surplus Security Equipment.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        this subchapter, the Administrator of General Services shall 
        ensure that a qualifying State or local courthouse has an 
        opportunity to request to receive surplus security equipment 
        for use at the qualifying State or local courthouse before the 
        surplus security equipment is made available to any other 
        individual or entity under this subchapter.
            ``(2) Disposal.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), 
                upon request by a qualifying State or local courthouse 
                for surplus security equipment for use at the 
                qualifying State or local courthouse, the surplus 
                security equipment shall be made available to the 
                qualifying State or local courthouse without cost, 
                except for any costs of shipping, handling, and 
                maintenance.
                    ``(B) Multiple requests.--If more than 1 qualifying 
                State or local courthouse requests a particular piece 
                of surplus security equipment, the surplus security 
                equipment shall be distributed based on need, as 
                determined by the Administrator of General Services, 
                with priority given to a qualifying State or local 
                courthouse that has no security equipment.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for 
chapter 5 of title 40, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 559 the following:

``560. Surplus security equipment for State and local courts.''.
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