Legislation Search

H.R. 2711: Invest to Protect Act of 2025

The Invest to Protect Act of 2025 aims to create a grant program to assist local law enforcement agencies. This legislation focuses on several key areas, including improving training and resources for law enforcement officers, enhancing recruitment and retention efforts, and ensuring better community safety.

Grant Program Overview

The bill establishes a grant program within the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services of the Department of Justice. This program is specifically designed to:

Provide training and mental health resources for local law enforcement officers.
Improve recruitment and retention of local law enforcement personnel.

Eligible Recipients

Local law enforcement agencies that qualify for these grants include:

Counties, municipalities, towns, townships, villages, parishes, boroughs, or other government units with fewer than 175 law enforcement officers.
Tribal governments employing fewer than 175 law enforcement officers.

Use of Grant Funds

Agencies that receive these grants can allocate the funds toward various approved activities, such as:

De-escalation training for police officers.
Victim-centered training for handling domestic violence cases.
Safety training for active shooter situations and handling of illicit drugs.
Overtime cost coverage related to training participation.
Signing and retention bonuses for law enforcement officers.
Support for graduate education in relevant mental health and public health fields.
Access to mental health services for officers.
Implementation of best practices related to the use of force and community safety.
Data collection related to police practices.

Application Process

The bill requires the Attorney General to assess barriers that may hamper a streamlined grant application process. It mandates a report on how to simplify the application, aiming for applications to be completed within two hours.

Grant Reporting and Accountability

Grant recipients will be accountable through established reporting requirements to evaluate the effectiveness of the funded programs. The Director will review the data provided and conduct audits to prevent fraud and misuse of funds. If a recipient has unresolved audit findings, they will lose eligibility for future grants for three years.

Funding Authorization

The legislation authorizes up to $50 million each year from 2027 to 2031 to support this grant program.

Potential Impact on Law Enforcement

Overall, this bill aims to enhance the capabilities of local law enforcement agencies by providing the necessary training and resources to improve interactions with the community and effectively handle situations that require police intervention.