,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #gfh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #bg1 #bjbe,ms4 ,cortez ,masto 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,grassley1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,warnock1 ,mr4 ,cassidy1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,ms4 ,collins1 ,mr4 ,kelly1 ,mr4 ,young1 and ,ms4 ,klobuchar7 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 law enforcement agencies1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,invest to ,protect ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,grant program 7a7 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,de-escalation training ,the term de-escalation training means training relating to taking action or communicating verbally or non-verbally during a potential force encounter in an attempt to stabilize the situation and reduce the immediacy of the threat so that more time1 options1 and resources can be called upon to resolve the situation without the use of force or with a reduction in the force necessary4 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 #age law enforcement officers2 and 7,b7 a ,tribal government that employs fewer than #age law enforcement officers4 7#d7 ,law enforcement officer ,the term law enforcement officer has the meaning given the term career law enforcement officer in section #agji of title ,i the ,omnibus ,crime ,control and ,safe ,streets ,act of #aifh 7#cd ,u4,s4,c4 #ajchi74 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 training 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 #abj 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 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #fj 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 reasonably complete the application in not more than #b hours4 7,b7 ,contents of plan ,the plan required under subparagraph 7,a7 may include a plan for-- 7i7 proactively providing eligible local governments seeking a grant under this section with information on the data eligible local governments will need to prepare before beginning the grant application2 and 7ii7 ensuring technical assistance is available for eligible local governments seeking a grant under this section before and during the grant application process1 including through dedicated liaisons within the ,office4 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#b77;,a74 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 victim-centered training for law enforcement officers in handling situations of domestic violence2 7#c7 evidence-based law enforcement safety training for-- 7,a7 active shooter situations2 7,b7 the safe handling of illicit drugs and precursor chemicals2 7,c7 rescue situations2 7,d7 recognizing and countering ambush attacks2 or 7,e7 response to calls for service involving-- 7i7 persons with mental health needs2 7ii7 persons with substance use disorders2 7iii7 veterans2 7iv7 persons with disabilities2 7v7 vulnerable youth2 7vi7 persons who are victims of domestic violence1 sexual assault1 or trafficking2 or 7vii7 persons experiencing homelessness or living in poverty2 7#d7 the offsetting of overtime costs associated with scheduling issues relating to the participation of a law enforcement officer in the training described in paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#c71 7#i71 and 7#aj72 7#e7 a signing bonus for a law enforcement officer in an amount determined by the eligible local government2 7#f7 a retention bonus for a law enforcement officer-- 7,a7 in an amount determined by the eligible local government that does not exceed #bj percent of the salary of the law enforcement officer2 and 7,b7 who-- 7i7 has been employed at the law enforcement agency for not fewer than #e years2 7ii7 has not been found by an internal investigation to have engaged in serious misconduct2 and 7iii7 commits to remain employed by the law enforcement agency for not less than #c years after the date of receipt of the bonus2 7#g7 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 7#h7 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 telehealth2 7#i7 the implementation of evidence-based best practices and training on the use of lethal and nonlethal force2 7#aj7 the implementation of evidence-based best practices and training on the duty of care and the duty to intervene2 and 7#aa7 data collection for police practices relating to officer and community safety4 7f7 ,reporting requirements for grant recipients 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,director shall establish reasonable reporting requirements specifically relating to a grant awarded under this section for eligible local governments that receive such a grant in order to assist with the evaluation by the ,office of the program established under this section4 7#b7 ,considerations ,in establishing requirements under paragraph 7#a71 the ,director shall consider the capacity of law enforcement agencies with fewer than #age officers to collect and report information4 7g7 ,disclosure of officer recruitment and retention bonuses 7#a7 ,in general ,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#e7 or 7#f7 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 the bonus4 7#b7 ,report ,the ,attorney ,general shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an annual report that includes each signing or retention bonus disclosed under paragraph 7#a7 during the preceding year4 7h7 ,grant accountability 7#a7 ,in general ,all grants awarded by the ,director under this section shall be subject to the accountability provisions described in this subsection4 7#b7 ,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 #c fiscal years beginning after the end of the #ab-month period described in subparagraph 7,a74 7,d7 ,reimbursement ,if an eligible local government is awarded grant funds under this section during the #c-;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#c7 ,annual certification ,beginning in the fiscal year during which audits commence under paragraph 7#b77;,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#b7 have been completed and reviewed by the appropriate ,assistant ,attorney ,general or ,director2 7ii7 all mandatory exclusions required under paragraph 7#b77;,c7 have been issued2 and 7iii7 all reimbursements required under paragraph 7#b77;,d7 have been made2 and 7,b7 that includes a list of any grant recipients excluded under paragraph 7#b7 from the previous year4 7i7 ,program evaluation ,not less frequently than annually1 the ,attorney ,general shall analyze the information provided by eligible local governments pursuant to the reporting requirements established under subsection 7f77#a7 to evaluate the efficacy of programs funded by the grant program under this section4 7j7 ,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 purpose1 whether through the grant program under this section or another grant program administered by the ,department of ,justice1 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 7k7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section not more than #ej1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4