,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ageb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #ad1 #bjbe ,mr4 ,kelly 7for himself and ,mr4 ,hawley7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh to provide education assistance to public safety officers1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,educational and ,career ,opportunities for ,public ,safety ,act of #bjbe or the ,ed,c,o,p,s ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,public safety officer education assistance program ,title ,i of the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh 7#cd ,u4,s4,c4 #ajaja et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 ,,pp ,public safety officer education assistance program #cjfa4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this part is to improve recruitment and retention of public safety officers employed by ,state1 local1 tribal1 and regional law enforcement agencies by providing assistance for the pursuit of a program of higher education4 #cjfb4 ,definitions ,in this part3 7#a7 ,child ,the term child means a natural1 illegitimate1 or adopted child or stepchild of an eligible public safety officer4 7#b7 ,educational institution2 program of education ,the terms educational institution and program of education have the meanings given the terms in section #abag4 7#c7 ,eligible public safety officer ,the term eligible public safety officer means a public safety officer that-- 7,a7 has served as a public safety officer for not less than #h years for a single employer prior to the date of submission of an application under section #cjfd2 and 7,b7 commits to serving as a public safety officer with the employer described in subparagraph 7,a7 during the #d-year period following the date of submission of an application under section #cjfd4 7#d7 ,public safety officer ,the term public safety officer has the meaning given the term in section #abjd4 #cjfc4 ,basic eligibility 7a7 ,benefits 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,attorney ,general shall provide financial assistance to a person who attends a program of education and is-- 7,a7 an eligible public safety officer2 or 7,b7 a child of an eligible public safety officer to whom an eligible public safety officer transfers eligibility for financial assistance in accordance with paragraph 7#d77;,a74 7#b7 ,form and amount ,except as provided in paragraph 7#c71 financial assistance under this part shall-- 7,a7 consist of direct payments to a person described in paragraph 7#a72 and 7,b7 be computed on the basis set forth in section #cecb of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#c7 ,reduction ,the financial assistance referred to in paragraph 7#b7 shall be reduced by the amount1 if any1 determined under section #cjfe7;b74 7#d7 ,transfer of assistance 7,a7 ,in general ,an eligible public safety officer may elect to transfer eligibility for part or all of the financial assistance for which the eligible public safety officer is eligible under this part to an individual described in paragraph 7#a77;,b74 7,b7 ,approval ,an eligible public safety officer shall approve the receipt of financial assistance under this part by a person who is not the eligible public safety officer4 7b7 ,duration of benefits ,the ,attorney ,general may not provide financial assistance under this part to a person for a period in excess of #de months of full-time education or training or a proportional period of time for a part-time program4 7c7 ,age limitation for children ,the ,attorney ,general may not provide financial assistance under this part to a child of an eligible public safety officer after the date of the #bgth birthday of the child4 #cjfd4 ,applications2 approval 7a7 ,application ,a person seeking assistance under this part shall submit to the ,attorney ,general an application in such form and containing such information as the ,attorney ,general reasonably may require4 7b7 ,approval ,the ,attorney ,general shall approve an application for assistance under this part unless the ,attorney ,general finds that-- 7#a7 the person is not eligible for1 is no longer eligible for1 or is not entitled to the assistance for which application is made2 7#b7 the person's selected educational institution fails to meet a requirement established in a regulation implementing this part for eligibility2 7#c7 the person's enrollment in or pursuit of the educational program selected would fail to meet the criteria in a regulation implementing this part for programs2 or 7#d7 the person already is qualified by previous education or training for the educational1 professional1 or vocational objective for which the educational program is offered4 7c7 ,notification ,the ,attorney ,general shall notify a person applying for assistance under this part of approval or disapproval of the application in writing4 #cjfe4 ,regulations 7a7 ,in general ,the ,attorney ,general may promulgate reasonable and necessary regulations to implement this part4 7b7 ,sliding scale ,notwithstanding section #cjfd7;b71 the ,attorney ,general shall issue regulations regarding the use of a sliding scale based on financial need to ensure that a person eligible to receive financial assistance under this part who is in financial need receives priority in receiving funds under this part4 #cjff4 ,discontinuation for unsatisfactory conduct or progress ,the ,attorney ,general may discontinue assistance under this part to a person if the ,attorney ,general finds that1 according to the regularly prescribed standards and practices of an educational institution attended by the person1 the person fails to maintain satisfactory progress as described in section #dhd7;c7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajia7;c774 #cjfg4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part such sums as may be necessary4 4