Title: Safe Interactions Act of 2020
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Safe Interactions Act of 2020
This bill requires the Department of Justice to award grants to nonprofit disability organizations to develop training programs for law enforcement officers who may encounter individuals with disabilities.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4987 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4987

   To provide grants to enable nonprofit disability organizations to 
 develop training programs that support safe interactions between law 
   enforcement officers and individuals with disabilities and older 
                              individuals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 9, 2020

   Mr. Casey introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide grants to enable nonprofit disability organizations to 
 develop training programs that support safe interactions between law 
   enforcement officers and individuals with disabilities and older 
                              individuals.

    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 ``Safe Interactions Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Individuals with disabilities are 2.5 times more likely 
        to be victims of violent crime.
            (2) Individuals with disabilities are 3 times more likely 
        to be victims of a serious crime.
            (3) Individuals with disabilities make up between one-third 
        and one-half of all individuals killed by law enforcement 
        officers.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

     The purpose of this Act is to--
            (1) authorize the Attorney General to award competitive 
        grants to nonprofit disability organizations to administer 
        enhanced training programs to law enforcement officers who may 
        encounter or provide services to covered individuals, 
        including--
                    (A) individuals with mental health disabilities, 
                including schizophrenia;
                    (B) individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or 
                blind, are autistic, or have other intellectual or 
                developmental disabilities;
                    (C) older individuals with dementia or other 
                cognitive impairments;
                    (D) individuals with any other disabilities or 
                chronic health condition; and
                    (E) support, not replace, other specialized law 
                enforcement officer training, such as crisis 
                intervention team training; and
            (2)(A) increase the awareness, knowledge, and understanding 
        of law enforcement officers about covered individuals and their 
        unique needs and applicable Federal civil rights laws;
            (B) reduce incidences of violence between law enforcement 
        officers and covered individuals;
            (C) expand the knowledge of law enforcement officers of the 
        signs of disabilities and effective ways to approach covered 
        individuals to minimize situations of risk to--
                    (i) those individuals; and
                    (ii) the law enforcement officers who intervene or 
                provide services to those individuals; and
            (D) increase the knowledge of law enforcement officers of 
        community resources available for covered individuals to 
        ultimately limit interactions with law enforcement officers.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Covered grant.--The term ``covered grant'' means a 
        grant awarded under section 5(a).
            (2) Covered individual.--The term ``covered individual'' 
        means--
                    (A) an older individual; or
                    (B) an individual with a disability.
            (3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
        nonprofit disability organization that has formed a partnership 
        with a law enforcement agency or a consortium of law 
        enforcement agencies to administer enhanced training programs 
        to law enforcement officers of the agency or agencies on how to 
        interact with covered individuals.
            (4) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the 
        meaning given the term ``Indian tribe'' in section 4 of the 
        Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 
        U.S.C. 5304).
            (5) Individual with a disability.--The term ``individual 
        with a disability'' means any individual who has a disability, 
        as defined in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act 
        of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102).
            (6) Initial training program.--The term ``initial training 
        program'' means a training program offered to new law 
        enforcement officers under section 5(d)(1)(A).
            (7) Law enforcement officer.--The term ``law enforcement 
        officer'' means any officer, agent, or employee of a State, 
        political subdivision of a State, or Indian Tribe--
                    (A) authorized by law or by a government agency to 
                engage in or supervise the prevention, detection, or 
                investigation of any violation of criminal law; or
                    (B) authorized by law to supervise sentenced 
                criminal offenders.
            (8) Nonprofit disability organization.--The term 
        ``nonprofit disability organization'' means a nonprofit 
        organization--
                    (A) that serves covered individuals; and
                    (B)(i) that is operated by a board of which the 
                majority of members are covered individuals;
                    (ii) that has an advisory panel of which the 
                majority of members are covered individuals; or
                    (iii) the majority of the employees of which are 
                covered individuals.
            (9) Older individual.--The term ``older individual'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 102 of the Older 
        Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002).
            (10) Partner academy.--The term ``partner academy'', with 
        respect to an eligible entity that receives a covered grant, 
        means a law enforcement training academy with which the 
        eligible entity partners to administer an initial training 
        program, as described in section 5(b)(1).
            (11) Partner agency.--The term ``partner agency'', with 
        respect to an eligible entity that receives a covered grant, 
        means the law enforcement agency with which the eligible entity 
        partners, or that is a member of a consortium with which the 
        eligible entity partners, to administer enhanced training 
        programs to law enforcement officers of the agency on how to 
        interact with covered individuals.
            (12) Refresher training program.--The term ``refresher 
        training program'' means a training program offered to existing 
        law enforcement officers under section 5(d)(1)(B).

SEC. 5. GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Attorney General shall award competitive 
grants to nonprofit disability organizations to administer enhanced 
training programs to law enforcement officers who may encounter or 
provide services to covered individuals.
    (b) Application.--An eligible entity seeking a covered grant shall 
submit to the Attorney General an application that--
            (1)(A) identifies a law enforcement training academy with 
        which the eligible entity will partner to administer an initial 
        training program; and
            (B) includes a memorandum of understanding entered into 
        between the eligible entity and the law enforcement training 
        academy;
            (2) describes any training on how to interact with covered 
        individuals that is provided, as of the date of submission of 
        the application--
                    (A) by the partner academy to new law enforcement 
                officers; or
                    (B) by any partner agency to existing law 
                enforcement officers;
            (3) describes the learning objectives of the training 
        programs that the eligible entity will administer using the 
        grant;
            (4) describes the activities that will be carried out under 
        the grant;
            (5) includes a timeline of the activities described in 
        paragraph (4); and
            (6) demonstrates expertise in training related to covered 
        individuals.
    (c) Preferences.--In awarding covered grants, the Attorney General 
shall ensure--
            (1) geographic diversity of grant recipients, including 
        grant recipients that serve rural localities; and
            (2) that the training funded by the grant is provided to 
        multiple levels of law enforcement agencies, including local, 
        county, State, and Tribal agencies.
    (d) Use of Funds.--
            (1) Mandatory uses.--An eligible entity that receives a 
        covered grant shall use the grant funds to--
                    (A) modify the training provided by the partner 
                academy to new law enforcement officers of each partner 
                agency so that the academy provides not fewer than 8 
                hours of training on how to interact with covered 
                individuals and applicable Federal civil rights laws, 
                including not fewer than 4 hours of interactive 
                learning taught by covered individuals; and
                    (B) develop and implement an enhanced training 
                program for existing law enforcement officers of each 
                partner agency on safe, effective, and respectful 
                interactions with covered individuals--
                            (i) that includes--
                                    (I) awareness of and education 
                                about covered individuals, including--
                                            (aa) individuals with 
                                        mental health disabilities, 
                                        including schizophrenia;
                                            (bb) individuals who are 
                                        deaf, hard of hearing, or 
                                        blind, are autistic, or have 
                                        other intellectual or 
                                        developmental disabilities;
                                            (cc) older individuals with 
                                        dementia or other cognitive 
                                        impairments; and
                                            (dd) individuals with any 
                                        other disabilities or chronic 
                                        health condition;
                                    (II) escalation avoidance and de-
                                escalation techniques to be used when 
                                interacting with covered individuals, 
                                including procedures a law enforcement 
                                officer should follow to ensure the 
                                safety and calmness of a covered 
                                individual; and
                                    (III) communication strategies to 
                                be used when interacting with covered 
                                individuals, including individuals who 
                                do not use speech to communicate;
                            (ii) that utilizes--
                                    (I) instructors who are covered 
                                individuals; or
                                    (II) guest instructors or speakers 
                                who are covered individuals; and
                            (iii) in which each law enforcement officer 
                        participates not less frequently than once 
                        every 2 years.
            (2) Optional uses.--An eligible entity that receives a 
        covered grant may use the grant funds to--
                    (A) expand an existing training program regarding 
                interaction with covered individuals that was provided 
                to law enforcement officers by a nonprofit disability 
                organization in conjunction with the partner academy or 
                a partner agency before the eligible entity received 
                the grant;
                    (B) reimburse staff members of the eligible entity 
                for mileage and travel time expended to attend an 
                initial training program or refresher training program;
                    (C) develop a model of training that utilizes 
                volunteer instructors, except that the eligible entity 
                shall pay any instructor, including a guest instructor, 
                who is a covered individual; or
                    (D) acquire a computer system or software needed 
                for the training programs.
    (e) Supplement, Not Supplant.--An eligible entity that receives a 
covered grant shall use the grant funds to supplement, and not 
supplant, any funds that would, in the absence of the grant funds, be 
made available from a State, political subdivision of a State, or 
Indian Tribe for the activities described in subsection (d).
    (f) Advisory Council.--
            (1) In general.--An eligible entity that receives a covered 
        grant shall establish an advisory council composed of 15 
        members to advise the eligible entity on activities carried out 
        using the grant.
            (2) Membership.--An advisory council established under 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) be composed of--
                            (i) 1 representative of the eligible entity 
                        who is a covered individual and shall serve as 
                        chair of the advisory council;
                            (ii) 1 representative of the State law 
                        enforcement training academy or law enforcement 
                        agency for the State that the eligible entity 
                        serves, who shall serve as vice chair of the 
                        advisory council;
                            (iii) 4 representatives of community-based 
                        organizations that support individuals with 
                        disabilities, not fewer than 2 of whom have a 
                        disability;
                            (iv) 2 representatives of community-based 
                        organizations that support older adults;
                            (v) 2 State officials or their designees;
                            (vi) 2 representatives of a State public 
                        safety agency; and
                            (vii) 3 members of the public with 
                        knowledge of individuals with disabilities and 
                        older adults with cognitive impairment, 
                        including not fewer than 2 self-advocates or 
                        family members of a covered individual; and
                    (B) include a majority of representation from 
                racial and ethnic minority communities.
            (3) Duties.--An advisory council established under 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) advise the eligible entity and provide general 
                oversight of grant activities carried out by the 
                eligible entity, including development of the training 
                curriculum and implementation of the training programs; 
                and
                    (B) provide the advisory council with 
                recommendations for the sustainability and expansion of 
                the training programs, such as the development of a 
                train-the-trainer model.
    (g) Annual Report.--
            (1) Report to attorney general by eligible entities.--Not 
        later than 1 year after receiving a covered grant, and each 
        year thereafter for the duration of the grant period, an 
        eligible entity that receives a covered grant shall submit the 
        following information to the Attorney General with respect to 
        the preceding year:
                    (A) The number of individuals who benefitted from 
                the training programs provided by the eligible entity 
                using grant funds, including--
                            (i) the number of individuals who were 
                        trained through the training programs, 
                        including the total number of new law 
                        enforcement officers who participated in the 
                        initial training program; and
                            (ii) the estimated number of individuals 
                        who were impacted by the training programs.
                    (B) Demographic data, including age, sex, and race, 
                for the law enforcement officers who received the 
                training.
                    (C) The number of partner agencies that 
                participated in the training programs.
                    (D) Each partner law enforcement agency, including 
                the city and State in which the headquarters and each 
                local office of the agency are located, and the result 
                of that partnership.
                    (E) Any recommendations for improving the grant 
                program carried out under this Act.
            (2) Report to congress by attorney general.--Not later than 
        2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and each year 
        thereafter, the Attorney General shall submit a report on the 
        grant program carried out under this Act, with respect to the 
        preceding year, to--
                    (A) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate;
                    (B) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
                    (C) the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate;
                    (D) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (E) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives.
    (h) Evaluation.--
            (1) In general.--The Attorney General shall use not more 
        than 2 percent of the amounts made available under section 6 
        for administrative purposes and for an evaluation of the grant 
        program carried out under this Act.
            (2) Independent evaluator.--The Attorney General shall 
        enter into a contract with a third-party entity that is 
        unrelated to any recipient of a covered grant to carry out the 
        evaluation under paragraph (1).
            (3) Contents.--In carrying out the evaluation under 
        paragraph (1), the third-party entity contracted under 
        paragraph (2) shall report to the Attorney General on--
                    (A) the demographic characteristics of the 
                population served by the training conducted by eligible 
                entities using covered grants; and
                    (B) any change in the occurrence of violence in the 
                communities served by training described in 
                subparagraph (A).

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to the Attorney General 
$50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2024 to carry out 
this Act.
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