[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3509 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3509
To augment the salaries of State and local law enforcement officers and
promote officer hiring and retention, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 18, 2023
Mr. LaHood (for himself and Mr. Bost) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To augment the salaries of State and local law enforcement officers and
promote officer hiring and retention, 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 ``David Dorn Thin Blue Line Retention
Act''.
SEC. 2. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY FUNDING REFORM.
(a) Authorization.--Part W of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control
and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10491 et seq.) is amended--
(1) in section 2301 (34 U.S.C. 10491)--
(A) in paragraph (5), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the
end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(7) provide programs to support the hiring and retention
of law enforcement personnel and augment the salaries of law
enforcement personnel employed by cooperating State and local
law enforcement agencies or organizations.'';
(2) in section 2302 (34 U.S.C. 10492), by inserting before
the period at the end the following: ``, or in the case of
State and local law enforcement agencies, to support the hiring
and retention of law enforcement personnel and augment wages
paid to law enforcement personnel'';
(3) in section 2303 (34 U.S.C. 10493)--
(A) in subsection (a), by inserting before the
period at the end the following: ``, or to support the
hiring and retention of law enforcement personnel and
to augment wages paid to law enforcement personnel'';
(B) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding
paragraph (1), by inserting before the colon the
following: ``, unless supporting the hiring and
retention of law enforcement personnel or augmenting
wages in accordance with subsection (d)''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(d) Hiring and Retention of Law Enforcement Personnel.--A law
enforcement agency or organization that receives funds under this part
may use the funds for activities and programs to hire and pay
additional law enforcement personnel or to retain existing personnel.
``(e) Augmentation of Wages.--
``(1) In general.--A law enforcement agency or organization
that receives funds under this part may use the funds to
augment the salaries of law enforcement personnel, up to an
amount equal to 110 percent of the State real median household
income of the preceding year, as estimated by the United States
Census Bureau.
``(2) Requirement.--A law enforcement agency or
organization shall not be eligible to receive funds under this
part for the purpose described in paragraph (1) if the agency
or organization reduced the salaries of law enforcement
personnel during the calendar year immediately preceding the
application for funds for the sole purpose of dismantling law
enforcement agencies or organizations pursuant to a State or
local policy.
``(3) Rule of construction.--Nothing in paragraph (2) shall
be construed to affect the eligibility of any law enforcement
agency or organization that reduces the salaries of law
enforcement personnel due to budget constraints that are
implemented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.'';
(4) in section 2304(1) (34 U.S.C. 10494(1)), by inserting
``, unless Federal funds are sought for the purpose of
personnel hiring, personnel retention, or wage augmentation,''
after ``certify''; and
(5) in section 2305 (34 U.S.C. 10495(b))--
(A) by striking ``The Attorney General may award''
and inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the
Attorney General may award''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply to grants
sought for the purpose of personnel hiring, personnel
retention, or wage augmentation.''.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 1001(21) of title I
of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C.
10261(21)) is amended by striking ``$7,500,000 for each of fiscal years
2020 through 2024.'' and inserting ``$15,000,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2024 through 2028, of which any funds appropriated in excess of
$7,500,000 shall be used for the hiring and retention of law
enforcement officers and the augmentation of wages as described in such
part.''.
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