,i #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #gdba ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #f1 #bjbb,mrs4 ,fischbach 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,stauber1 and ,mr4 ,higgins of ,louisiana7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and ,labor ,a ,,bill ,to authorize a ,law ,enforcement ,education ,grant program to encourage students to pursue a career in law enforcement4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,law ,enforcement ,education ,grant ,program ,act of #bjbb4 #b4 ,law ,enforcement ,education grant program ,part ,a of title ,,iv of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajgj et seq47 is amended by inserting at the end of subpart #g the following new subpart3 #h ,law ,enforcement ,education grants #dbj4 ,law ,enforcement ,education grant program established 7a7 ,program authority 7#a7 ,payments required ,the ,secretary is authorized to carry out a ,law ,enforcement ,education ,grants program to pay to each law enforcement candidate who is selected by the ,secretary1 on a competitive basis1 to participate in such program1 a ,law ,enforcement ,education ,grant in the amount of #d1jjj for each year during which that candidate is eligible4 7#b7 ,references ,grants made under paragraph 7#a7 shall be known as ,law ,enforcement ,education ,grants4 7#c7 ,authorization ,there are authorized to be appropriated #bh1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbb and each subsequent fiscal year to provide ,law ,enforcement ,education ,grants in accordance with this subpart4 7b7 ,distribution of grants to law enforcement candidates ,payments under this subpart shall be made1 in accordance with regulations promulgated by the ,secretary for such purpose1 in such manner as will best accomplish the purposes of this subpart4 7c7 ,reductions in amount 7#a7 ,part-time students ,in any case where a law enforcement candidate attends an eligible institution on less than a full-time basis 7including a law enforcement candidate who attends an eligible institution on less than a half-time basis7 during any year1 the amount of a grant under this subpart for which that law enforcement candidate is eligible shall be reduced in proportion to the degree to which that law enforcement candidate is not attending on a full-time basis1 in accordance with a schedule of reductions established by the ,secretary for the purposes of this subpart1 computed in accordance with this subpart4 ,such schedule of reductions shall be established by regulation and published in the ,federal ,register in accordance with section #dhb of this ,act4 7#b7 ,no exceeding cost ,the amount of a grant awarded under this subpart1 in combination with ,federal student assistance and other student assistance the law enforcement candidate may receive1 shall not exceed the cost of attendance 7as defined in section #dgb7 at the eligible institution at which that law enforcement candidate is in attendance4 7d7 ,period of eligibility for grants 7#a7 ,in general ,the period during which a student may receive grants under this subpart shall be the period required for the completion of the first associate or baccalaureate course of study related to law enforcement or criminal justice being pursued by the law enforcement candidate at the eligible institution at which the law enforcement candidate is in attendance1 except that-- 7,a7 any period during which the law enforcement candidate is enrolled in a noncredit or remedial course of study as described in paragraph 7#b7 shall not be counted for the purpose of this paragraph2 and 7,b7 the total amount that a law enforcement candidate may receive under this subpart shall not exceed #af1jjj4 7#b7 ,remedial course ,nothing in this subpart shall be construed to exclude from eligibility courses of study which are noncredit or remedial in nature 7including courses in ,english language acquisition7 which are determined by the eligible institution to be necessary to help the law enforcement candidate be prepared for the pursuit of a first associate or baccalaureate degree or1 in the case of courses in ,english language instruction1 to be necessary to enable the law enforcement candidate to utilize already existing knowledge1 training1 or skills4 #dba4 ,applications2 ,eligibility2 ,selection 7a7 ,applications ,the ,secretary shall periodically set dates by which students shall file applications to complete for grants under this subpart4 ,each student desiring to compete for a grant under this subpart for any year shall file an application containing such information and assurances as the ,secretary may determine necessary to enable the ,secretary to carry out the functions and responsibilities of this subpart4 7b7 ,demonstration of grant eligibility ,each application submitted under subsection 7a7 shall contain such information as is necessary to demonstrate that the applicant is a student who-- 7#a7 is enrolled at an eligible institution2 7#b7 is an eligible student for purposes of section #dhd2 7#c7 is completing coursework and other requirements necessary to begin a career in law enforcement or criminal justice1 or plans to complete such coursework and requirements prior to graduating2 and 7#d7 has not obtained an associate or baccalaureate degree related to law enforcement or criminal justice before receiving a ,law ,enforcement ,education grant4 7c7 ,selection ,the ,secretary shall award grants under this subpart competitively on the basis of criteria determined by the ,secretary by regulation4 #dbb4 ,agreements to serve 7a7 ,service agreements ,each application under section #dba7;a7 shall contain or be accompanied by an agreement by the applicant that-- 7#a7 if selected to be a law enforcement candidate1 the applicant will-- 7,a7 serve as a full-time law enforcement officer for a total of not less than #d years within #h years after completing the course of study for which the candidate received a ,law ,enforcement ,education ,grant under this subpart2 and 7,b7 submit evidence of such employment in the form of a certification by the chief officer of the law enforcement agency or department employing the candidate upon completion of each year of such service2 7#b7 in the event that a law enforcement candidate is determined to have failed or refused to carry out such service obligation1 the sum of the amounts of any ,law ,enforcement ,education ,grants received by such candidate will be treated as a loan and collected from the candidate in accordance with subsection 7b7 and the regulations thereunder2 and 7#c7 contains1 or is accompanied by1 a plain-language disclosure form developed by the ,secretary that clearly describes the nature of the ,law ,enforcement ,education ,grant award1 the service obligation1 and the loan repayment requirements that are the consequence of the failure to complete the service obligation4 7b7 ,repayment for failure ,to complete service 7#a7 ,in general ,in the event that law enforcement candidate fails or refuses to comply with the service obligation in the agreement under subsection 7a71 the sum of the amounts of any ,law ,enforcement ,education ,grants received by such candidate shall1 upon a determination of such a failure or refusal in such service obligation1 be treated as a ,federal ,direct ,unsubsidized ,stafford ,loan under part ,d of title ,,iv1 and shall be subject to repayment1 together with interest thereon accruing from the date the grant is converted to such a ,loan1 in accordance with terms and conditions specified by the ,secretary in regulations under this subpart4 7#b7 ,extenuating circumstances ,the ,secretary shall establish1 by regulation1 categories of extenuating circumstances under which a law enforcement candidate who is unable to fulfill all or part of the candidate's service obligation may be excused from fulfilling that portion of the service obligation4 ,such categories shall ensure that a law enforcement candidate who is hired and serves as a full-time law enforcement officer but is unable to fulfill part of the candidate's service obligation due to medical discharge by a law enforcement agency or department because of a medical issue resulting from service as a law enforcement officer shall be excused from fulfilling the remaining portion of the service obligation4 #dbc4 ,definitions ,for the purposes of this subpart3 7#a7 ,eligible institution ,the term eligible institution means an institution of higher education1 as defined in section #ajb1 that-- 7,a7 provides an associate or baccalaureate degree in a field related to law enforcement or criminal justice2 and 7,b7 has been approved by the ,police ,officer ,standard and ,training ,board of the ,state in which the institution is located or related ,state agency4 7#b7 ,law enforcement candidate ,the term law enforcement candidate means an individual who is selected by the ,secretary to receive a ,law ,enforcement ,education ,grant under this subpart4 7#c7 ,law enforcement officer ,the term law enforcement officer means any officer1 agent1 or employee of a ,state1 unit of local government1 of ,indian tribe who is authorized to supervise the prevention1 detection1 or investigation of any violation of criminal law4 4 #c4 ,repeal of ,university ,sustainability ,programs ,part ,u of title ,,viii of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #aafau7 is repealed4