Reps. Hunt and Ivey Bill Tackling Law Enforcement Challenges Is Now Law

WASHINGTON – This weekend, U.S. Representative Glenn Ivey’s bipartisan Recruit and Retain Act with Co-Lead Rep. Wesley Hunt, became law after being signed by the president. This legislation provides law enforcement across the country with resources to combat staffing shortages.

Representatives Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) and Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) introduced the Recruit and Retain Act, H.R. 3325 in the House.  Senator Fischer (R – Neb.) introduced identical companion legislation (S.546) in the Senate with Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.).

“Recruiting and retaining highly trained law enforcement professionals is of the utmost importance.  Our ability to attract and develop the best, brightest and most compassionate and dedicated men and women of differing backgrounds is vital to the health and well-being of our nation.  Keeping our residents safe and promoting better relations with our citizenry can only lead to safer streets and better policing.  President Biden signed this bill into law for all who care about our country and a path forward for good law enforcement standards.  We must incentivize hiring and keeping the people who will do the job of safeguarding us from border to Broadway and everywhere in between,” said Congressman Glenn Ivey (D-MD). 

“I'm proud to say this bipartisan bill has been endorsed by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, the National Association of Police Organizations, the National Sheriff's Association, and others. When our police departments are well-funded and maintained, our communities are safer,” said Representative Wesley Hunt (R-TX).

“The law enforcement leaders I speak with in Delaware all express the same concern: They are struggling with recruiting, hiring, and retaining quality police officers. This weekend, President Biden signed my bipartisan bill with Senator Fischer into law that will actually do something to address those challenges. The Recruit and Retain Act will strengthen community policing by establishing a new recruitment pipeline program and by reducing onboarding costs for new officers. I’m proud this bipartisan bill will now get to work to support our police departments across Delaware and across the country,” said Senator Chris Coons (D-Del).

“Staffing shortages are burdening law enforcement officers and threatening public safety. My Recruit and Retain Act will give departments resources to rebuild. I’m grateful to the Nebraska officers and sheriffs who worked with me to craft this legislation, and I’m grateful the president signed it,” said Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb).

Click here to read the text of the bill.

Background

The Recruit and Retain Act will expand the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants to cover more onboarding costs, making it easier for law enforcement agencies to hire new officers. It will create strong local hiring pipelines through a new partnership program between schools and departments.

The Recruit and Retain Act has received national endorsements from the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Fraternal Order of Police, Major Cities Chiefs Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, National Association of Police Organizations, National Sheriffs Association, R Street Institute, and the Peace Officers Research Association of California.

To read more about national stakeholder support see below:

National Support:

“Law Enforcement agencies across the country serving urban, rural, big, and small communities are struggling to enlist qualified candidates to help alleviate staffing shortages. Through important changes to the COPS Program, the Recruit and Retain Act would help remove financial obstacles to the law enforcement application process and aid in the recruitment of community police officers through the creation of a Pipeline Partnership Program. It also takes steps towards understanding how the profession found itself in this recruitment and retention crisis so we can get the tools and support we need to reverse it.  NAPO thanks Senators Fischer and Coons for their support of the law enforcement community,” said Bill Johnson, Executive Director, National Association of Police Organizations.

“Sheriffs appreciate the Senators recognition of the declining ability to hire qualified candidates for local LE agencies.  Law enforcement has seen recruitment efforts falter as a result of economic and social policy decline. Additional assistance from the COPS program will help in reaching our recruitment and retention goals,” said Sheriff Jim Skinner of Collin County, Texas and the Chairman of the National Sheriffs Association Government Affairs Committee.

“Nearly every MCCA member agency is understaffed, and many are having difficulty finding people who want to serve as law enforcement officers. Retention is also a challenge, and many MCCA members have reported that officers are leaving for smaller agencies. The Recruit and Retain Act creates a new grant program that will help strengthen recruitment and retention efforts by fostering partnerships between law enforcement agencies and educational institutions. The MCCA thanks Sen. Fischer and Sen. Coons for introducing this important piece of legislation,” said Eddie Garcia, Chief, Dallas Police Department and President, Major Cities Chiefs Association.

“Too many law enforcement agencies across the country are struggling to maintain a fully staffed police force and to recruit the best and brightest candidates to serve in their communities. The bill introduced today by Senators Fischer and Coons will help local law enforcement by expanding the scope of the COPS Hiring Program to allow these funds to be used to reduce application fees and other similar costs for job applicants.  We think it can make a real difference," said Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police.

“Law enforcement is struggling to recruit and retain officers now more than ever.  In rural areas, departments are struggling to bring on new officers. Meanwhile, urban areas are struggling to keep officers amid increasing violence and attacks. More and more, federal law enforcement is being pulled in to bridge the gap. But public safety requires robust and professional law enforcement officers and agents serving across our ranks. This legislation will help make that happen. FLEOA proudly supports the Recruit and Retain Act to ensure careers in law enforcement is a desirable career for all Americans with a desire to serve. We applaud Senator Fischer and Senator Coons for leading this necessary effort to enhance community safety,” said Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association President Larry Cosme.

The bill contains five key initiatives:

1. Supporting Officer Onboarding - Makes the U.S. Department of Justice’s COPS grants more flexible to reduce the costs of hiring new law enforcement officers (ex: background checks, psychological evaluations, etc.).

2. Reducing Administrative Burdens - Allows up to 2% of grant funding to alleviate the administrative costs of implementing COPS grants, to align with similar Justice Department programs. Many law enforcement agencies have noted this would offset the paperwork burden associated with COPS grants. 

3. Authorizing New Pipeline Recruitment Program - Using existing funding, authorizes the Pipeline Partnership Program within COPS to encourage collaboration between agencies and local elementary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education for students interested in future careers in law enforcement. Qualifying partnership activities would include: dedicated programming for students, work-based learning opportunities, project-based learning, mentoring, community liaisons, career or jobs fairs, work site visits, job shadowing, and skills-based internships.

4. Providing Better Grant Guidance for Understaffed Agencies - Creates new guidance for COPS hiring grants to clarify the lack of consistent application procedures for understaffed agencies. This will ensure more eligible police departments are better able to access COPS grants.

5. Shining a Light on Recruitment and Retention Challenges - Directs a comprehensive study to illuminate and provide much-needed data on the latest recruitment and retention challenges law enforcement agencies of all sizes face nationwide, and document how these trends are impacting public safety.