Title: Providing Officer Licensing to Increase Confidence for Everyone Act
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Providing Officer Licensing to Increase Confidence for Everyone Act or the POLICE Act
This bill establishes licensing requirements for law enforcement officers.
The Department of Justice must issue licensing standards based on law enforcement best practices.
Federal law enforcement officers must be licensed in accordance with such standards and take continuing education classes to maintain their license.
States must have in effect a similar licensing system and continuing education program to receive a full allocation of funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 155 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 155

  To establish licensing standards for law enforcement, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 2021

   Mr. Rush introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish licensing standards for law enforcement, 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 ``Providing Officer Licensing to 
Increase Confidence for Everyone Act'' or the ``POLICE Act''.

SEC. 2. LAW ENFORCEMENT LICENSING STANDARDS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with appropriate 
nongovernmental associations (such as the International Association of 
Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training and the Commission 
on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies), shall issue licensing 
standards for law enforcement officers based on best practices for law 
enforcement. Such licensing standards shall be reviewed and, if 
necessary, modified every 5 years.
    (b) Federal Licensing.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, each Federal law enforcement officer 
        shall be licensed in accordance with the licensing standards 
        issued pursuant to subsection (a).
            (2) Continuing education.--Each Federal law enforcement 
        officer who has received a license under paragraph (1) shall 
        take annual continuing education classes on such topics as the 
        Attorney General may require to maintain the license for a 
        year.
            (3) Federal law enforcement officer defined.--In this 
        subsection, the term ``Federal law enforcement officer'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 115 of title 18, United 
        States Code.
    (c) State Licensing.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, a State shall--
                    (A) have in effect a licensing system under which 
                each State and local law enforcement officer shall be 
                licensed in accordance with the licensing standards 
                issued pursuant to subsection (a); and
                    (B) have in effect a continuing education program 
                that is substantially similar to the program for 
                Federal law enforcement officers under subsection 
                (b)(2).
            (2) Byrne.--If a State fails to comply with the requirement 
        under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the State shall be 
        subject to a 50 percent reduction of the amount that would 
        otherwise be awarded in the following fiscal year to that State 
        under subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
        Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10151 et seq.).
            (3) Reallocation.--Amounts not allocated to a State for 
        failure to comply with this subsection shall be reallocated to 
        States that have complied in accordance with subpart 1 of part 
        E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act 
        of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10151 et seq.).
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