For Immediate Release: Congressman Wesley Hunt's Bill - The Recruit and Retain Act passes the House
May 14, 2024
Contact: Matthew Topolski, Communications Director
Washington, D.C. - Today, during National Police Week, the Senate's version of Congressman Wesley Hunt's legislation - The Recruit and Retain Act has passed the United States House of Representatives and will be sent to the President and await to be signed into law.
The Recruit and Retain Act is bipartisan legislation co-led in the House of Representatives by Congressman 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 bill would 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 bill 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.
And the bill also researches the latest data and uncovers new insights into law enforcement recruitment and retention trends across the country.
“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. I am proud that this important piece of pro-law enforcement legislation has passed the House of Representatives, 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 bill a reality.” said Hunt.
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