For Immediate Release: Congressman Wesley Hunt's Bill - The Recruit and Retain Act - has been signed into law by the President of the United States
Contact: Matthew Topolski, Communications Director
Email: matthew.topolski@mail.house.gov
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Wesley Hunt's legislation - The Recruit and Retain Act has been signed into law by the President of the United States. The Recruit and Retain Act was the only bill during police week that was signed into law by President Biden.
This accomplishment underscores Congressman Hunt's leadership as a legislator and he is extremely proud that despite being in divided government, Congressman Hunt and fellow legislators came together to provide a bipartisanship solution to support our law enforcement community.
The Recruit and Retain Act is bipartisan legislation co-led in the House of Representatives by Congressmen Wesley Hunt (R-TX) and Glenn Ivey (D-MD).
The Justice Department provides grants to state, local, and tribal governments to hire law enforcement officers (LEOs) under the COPS Hiring Program (CHP). Congress first authorized the CHP in the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-322). Funded at $224.5 million for FY 2023, the CHP remains the central federal resource to help law enforcement agencies hire new officers.
This law will leverage the CHP to ensure the program is responsive to the latest hiring challenges that federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies are experiencing nationwide.
Accordingly, the law would: reduce the costs of onboarding new officers, specifically for fees associated with background checks, psychological evaluations, and testing.
It alleviates administrative burdens and clarifies application guidance to ensure CHP grants are accessible to all law enforcement agencies and creates new opportunities for law enforcement to build trust and interest in law enforcement careers with local youth.
Recruit and Retain also researches the latest data and uncovers new insights into law enforcement recruitment and retention trends across the country.
"When our police departments are well-funded and maintained, our communities are safer. I am proud that this important piece of pro-law enforcement legislation has become law, and I want to thank U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Chris Coons (D-DE), along with my colleague Congressman Ivey (D-MD) for making this a reality.”said Hunt.
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