,,ii #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #chfj ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #ag1 #bjbb,ms4 ,cortez ,masto 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,grassley1 ,mr4 ,warnock1 and ,mr4 ,cassidy7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to establish a grant program to provide assistance to local governments with fewer than #bjj law enforcement officers1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,invest to ,protect ,act of #bjbb4 #b4 ,grant program 7a7 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,de-escalation training ,the term de-escalation training means a process or tactic used to prevent1 reduce1 or manage behaviors associated with conflict 7including verbal or physical agitation1 aggression1 violence1 or similar behaviors7 during an interaction between not less than #b individuals4 7#b7 ,director ,the term ,director means the ,director of the ,office4 7#c7 ,eligible local government ,the term eligible local government means-- 7,a7 a county1 municipality1 town1 township1 village1 parish1 borough1 or other unit of general government below the ,state level that employs fewer than #bjj law enforcement officers2 and 7,b7 a ,tribal government that employs fewer than #bjj law enforcement officers4 7#d7 ,law enforcement officer ,the term law enforcement officer has the meaning given the term in section #bejc of the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh 7#cd ,u4,s4,c4 #ajecc74 7#e7 ,office ,the term ,office means the ,office of ,community ,oriented ,policing ,services of the ,department of ,justice4 7b7 ,establishment ,there is established within the ,office a grant program to-- 7#a7 provide training1 body cameras1 and access to mental health resources to local law enforcement officers2 and 7#b7 improve the recruitment and retention of local law enforcement officers4 7c7 ,authority ,not later than #fj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,director shall award grants to eligible local governments as a part of the grant program established under subsection 7b74 7d7 ,applications 7#a7 ,barriers ,the ,attorney ,general shall determine what barriers exist to establishing a streamlined application process for grants under this section4 7#b7 ,report ,not later than #cj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,attorney ,general shall submit to ,congress a report that includes a plan to execute a streamlined application process for grants under this section under which an eligible local government seeking a grant under this section can complete the application in not more than #cj minutes4 7#c7 ,applications ,in selecting eligible local governments to receive grants under this section1 the ,director shall use the streamlined application process described in paragraph 7#b74 7e7 ,eligible ,activities ,an eligible local government that receives a grant under this section may use amounts from the grant only for-- 7#a7 de-escalation training for law enforcement officers2 7#b7 training for law enforcement officers in handling situations of domestic violence2 7#c7 law enforcement officer safety training2 7#d7 the offsetting of overtime costs associated with scheduling issues when a law enforcement officer participates in the training described in paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#c72 7#e7 the purchasing1 storage1 operation1 and securing of body cameras in accordance with guidelines established by the eligible local government or the ,attorney ,general under subsection 7f77#b7 until the eligible local government establishes such guidelines2 7#f7 a signing bonus for a law enforcement officer in an amount determined by the eligible local government2 7#g7 a retention bonus for a law enforcement officer in an amount determined by the eligible local government2 7#h7 a stipend for the graduate education of law enforcement officers in the area of mental health1 public health1 or social work1 which shall not exceed the lesser of-- 7,a7 #aj1jjj2 or 7,b7 the amount the law enforcement officer pays towards such graduate education2 and 7#i7 providing access to patient-centered behavioral health services for law enforcement officers1 which may include resources for risk assessments1 evidence-based1 trauma-informed care to treat post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder1 peer support and counselor services and family supports1 and the promotion of improved access to high quality mental health care through telehealth4 7f7 ,body camera guidelines 7#a7 ,in general ,an eligible local government that uses funds from a grant under this section for the purpose described in subsection 7e77#e7 shall-- 7,a7 follow guidelines established by the eligible local government or the ,state in which the eligible local government is located relating to the purchasing1 storage1 operation1 and securing of body cameras based on existing industry best practices2 or 7,b7 if the guidelines described in subparagraph 7,a7 do not yet exist1 follow the guidelines established under paragraph 7#b74 7#b7 ,federal guidelines ,not later than #fj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,attorney ,general shall establish guidelines relating to the purchasing1 storage1 operation1 and securing of body cameras that are based on existing industry best practices4 7g7 ,disclosure of officer recruitment and retention bonuses ,not later than #fj days after the date on which an eligible local government that receives a grant under this section awards a signing or retention bonus described in paragraph 7#f7 or 7#g7 of subsection 7e71 the eligible local government shall disclose to the ,director and make publicly available on a website of the eligible local government the amount of such bonus4 7h7 ,grant accountability ,all grants awarded by the ,director under this section shall be subject to the following accountability provisions3 7#a7 ,audit requirement 7,a7 ,definition ,in this paragraph1 the term unresolved audit finding means a finding in the final audit report of the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,justice that the audited grantee has used grant funds for an unauthorized expenditure or otherwise unallowable cost that is not closed or resolved within #ab months from the date when the final audit report is issued4 7,b7 ,audits ,beginning in the first fiscal year beginning after the date of enactment of this subsection1 and in each fiscal year thereafter1 the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,justice shall conduct audits of recipients of grants under this section to prevent waste1 fraud1 and abuse of funds by grantees4 ,the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,justice shall determine the appropriate number of grantees to be audited each year4 7,c7 ,mandatory exclusion ,a recipient of grant funds under this section that is found to have an unresolved audit finding shall not be eligible to receive grant funds under this section during the first #b fiscal years beginning after the end of the #ab-month period described in subparagraph 7,a74 7,d7 ,priority ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,director shall give priority to eligible local governments that did not have an unresolved audit finding during the #c fiscal years before submitting an application for a grant under this section4 7,e7 ,reimbursement ,if an eligible local government is awarded grant funds under this section during the #b-;fiscal-year period during which the eligible local government is barred from receiving grants under subparagraph 7,c71 the ,attorney ,general shall-- 7i7 deposit an amount equal to the amount of the grant funds that were improperly awarded to the grantee into the ,general ,fund of the ,treasury2 and 7ii7 seek to recoup the costs of the repayment to the fund from the grant recipient that was erroneously awarded grant funds4 7#b7 ,annual certification ,beginning in the fiscal year during which audits commence under paragraph 7#a77;,b71 the ,attorney ,general shall submit to the ,committee on the ,judiciary and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate and the ,committee on the ,judiciary and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives an annual certification-- 7,a7 indicating whether-- 7i7 all audits issued by the ,office of the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,justice under paragraph 7#a7 have been completed and reviewed by the appropriate ,assistant ,attorney ,general or ,director2 7ii7 all mandatory exclusions required under paragraph 7#a77;,c7 have been issued2 and 7iii7 all reimbursements required under paragraph 7#a77;,e7 have been made2 and 7,b7 that includes a list of any grant recipients excluded under paragraph 7#a7 from the previous year4 7i7 ,preventing duplicative grants 7#a7 ,in general ,before the ,director awards a grant to an eligible local government under this section1 the ,attorney ,general shall compare potential grant awards with other grants awarded by the ,attorney ,general to determine if grant awards are or have been awarded for a similar purpose4 7#b7 ,report ,if the ,attorney ,general awards grants to the same applicant for a similar purpose the ,attorney ,general shall submit to the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,senate and the ,committee on the ,judiciary of the ,house of ,representatives a report that includes-- 7,a7 a list of all such grants awarded1 including the total dollar amount of any such grants awarded2 and 7,b7 the reason the ,attorney ,general awarded multiple grants to the same applicant for a similar purpose4 7j7 ,funding ,in carrying out this section1 the ,director-- 7#a7 shall use amounts otherwise made available to the ,office2 and 7#b7 may use not more than #ej1jjj1jjj of such amounts for each of fiscal years #bjbc through #bjbg4