Title: State Attorneys General Empowerment Act of 2020
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
State Attorneys General Empowerment Act of 2020
This bill expands civil enforcement against state and local law enforcement agencies that engage in patterns or practices of conduct that violate constitutional or federal statutory rights.
Among other things, the bill

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7536 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7536

To amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, to 
   permit the attorney general of a State to bring a civil action to 
  eliminate a pattern or practice of violating rights, privileges, or 
  immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the 
                 United States, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 9, 2020

   Ms. Kelly of Illinois (for herself, Mr. Richmond, and Mr. Raskin) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, to 
   permit the attorney general of a State to bring a civil action to 
  eliminate a pattern or practice of violating rights, privileges, or 
  immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the 
                 United States, 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 ``State Attorneys General Empowerment 
Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. CAUSE OF ACTION REGARDING POLICE PATTERN OR PRACTICE.

    (a) State Enforcement.--Section 210401(b) of the Violent Crime 
Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12601(b)) is amended 
by inserting after ``the Attorney General, for or in the name of the 
United States'' the following: ``, or the attorney general of any 
State, for or in the name of that State, to the extent the violation 
has occurred within that State''.
    (b) Subpoena Authority.--Section 210401 of the Violent Crime 
Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12601) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b), by striking ``paragraph (1)'' and 
        inserting ``subsection (a)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Subpoena Authority.--In carrying out the authority in 
subsection (b), the Attorney General or an attorney general of a State 
may require by subpoena the production of all information, documents, 
reports, answers, records, accounts, papers, and other data in any 
medium (including electronically stored information), as well as any 
tangible thing and documentary evidence, and the attendance and 
testimony of witnesses necessary in the performance of the Attorney 
General or attorney general of a State under subsection (b). Such a 
subpoena, in the case of contumacy or refusal to obey, shall be 
enforceable by order of any appropriate district court of the United 
States.''.
    (c) Data on Excessive Use of Force.--Section 210402(a) of the 
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 
12602(a)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The Attorney General'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(1) Federal collection of data.--The Attorney General''; 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) State collection of data.--The attorney general of a 
        State may, through appropriate means, acquire data about the 
        use of excessive force by law enforcement officers and such 
        data may be used by the attorney general in conducting 
        investigations under section 210401.''.
    (d) Grant Program.--
            (1) Grants authorized.--The Attorney General may award a 
        grant to a State to assist the State in conducting pattern and 
        practice investigations at the State level.
            (2) Eligibility.--In order for a State to be eligible for a 
        grant under paragraph (1), the attorney general of the State, 
        or similar State official, shall have the authority to conduct 
        pattern and practice investigations, as described in section 
        210401 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 
        1994 (34 U.S.C. 12601), of governmental agencies in the State.
            (3) Application.--A State seeking a grant under paragraph 
        (1) shall submit an application in such form, at such time, and 
        containing such information as the Attorney General may 
        require.
            (4) Funding.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        $100,000,000 to the Attorney General for each of fiscal years 
        2020 through 2022 to carry out this subsection.
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