119-hr3436

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3436 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3436

 To authorize a Law Enforcement Education Grant program to encourage 
 students to pursue a career in law enforcement.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 May 15, 2025

Mrs. Fischbach (for herself, Mr. Stauber, Mr. Bacon, and Mr. Higgins of 
 Louisiana) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Education and Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To authorize a Law Enforcement Education Grant program to encourage 
 students to pursue a career in law enforcement.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Law Enforcement Education Grant 
Program Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. LAW ENFORCEMENT EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM.

 Part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1070 et seq.) is amended by inserting at the end of subpart 7 the 
following new subpart:

 ``Subpart 8--Law Enforcement Education Grants

``

SEC. 420. LAW ENFORCEMENT EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.

 ``

    (a) Program Authority.--
 ``

    (1) Payments required.--The Secretary is authorized to 
 carry out a Law Enforcement Education Grants program to pay to 
 each law enforcement candidate who is selected by the 
 Secretary, on a competitive basis, to participate in such 
 program, a Law Enforcement Education Grant in the amount of 
 $4,000 for each year during which that candidate is eligible.
 ``

    (2) References.--Grants made under paragraph

    (1) shall be 
 known as `Law Enforcement Education Grants'.
 ``

    (3) Funding.--Of the amounts otherwise authorized to be 
 appropriated to carry out this title, such sums as may be 
 necessary are authorized to be made available to carry out this 
 subpart, except that--
 ``
        (A) none of the sums made available to carry out 
 this subpart may be derived from amounts authorized to 
 be appropriated to carry out the Federal Pell Grants 
 program under 

section 401 or the Federal Direct Loan 
 Program under part D; and
 ``
        (B) to the extent that insufficient amounts are 
 made available in any fiscal year to carry out all 
 programs authorized under this title, the Secretary 
 shall give priority to fully funding the program under 
 this subpart.
 ``

    (b) Distribution of Grants to Law Enforcement Candidates.--
Payments under this subpart shall be made, in accordance with 
regulations promulgated by the Secretary for such purpose, in such 
manner as will best accomplish the purposes of this subpart.
 ``
            (c) Reductions in Amount.--
 ``

    (1) Part-time students.--In any case where a law 
 enforcement candidate attends an eligible institution on less 
 than a full-time basis (including a law enforcement candidate 
 who attends an eligible institution on less than a half-time 
 basis) during any year, the amount of a grant under this 
 subpart for which that law enforcement candidate is eligible 
 shall be reduced in proportion to the degree to which that law 
 enforcement candidate is not attending on a full-time basis, in 
 accordance with a schedule of reductions established by the 
 Secretary for the purposes of this subpart, computed in 
 accordance with this subpart. Such schedule of reductions shall 
 be established by regulation and published in the Federal 
 Register in accordance with 

section 482 of this Act.
 ``

    (2) No exceeding cost.--The amount of a grant awarded 
 under this subpart, in combination with Federal student 
 assistance and other student assistance the law enforcement 
 candidate may receive, shall not exceed the cost of attendance 
 (as defined in 

section 472) at the eligible institution at 
 which that law enforcement candidate is in attendance.
 ``
            (d) Period of Eligibility for Grants.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--The period during which a student may 
 receive grants under this subpart shall be the period required 
 for the completion of the first associate or baccalaureate 
 course of study related to law enforcement or criminal justice 
 being pursued by the law enforcement candidate at the eligible 
 institution at which the law enforcement candidate is in 
 attendance, except that--
 ``
        (A) any period during which the law enforcement 
 candidate is enrolled in a noncredit or remedial course 
 of study as described in paragraph

    (2) shall not be 
 counted for the purpose of this paragraph; and
 ``
        (B) the total amount that a law enforcement 
 candidate may receive under this subpart shall not 
 exceed $16,000.
 ``

    (2) Remedial course.--Nothing in this subpart shall be 
 construed to exclude from eligibility courses of study which 
 are noncredit or remedial in nature (including courses in 
 English language acquisition) which are determined by the 
 eligible institution to be necessary to help the law 
 enforcement candidate be prepared for the pursuit of a first 
 associate or baccalaureate degree or, in the case of courses in 
 English language instruction, to be necessary to enable the law 
 enforcement candidate to utilize already existing knowledge, 
 training, or skills.

``

SEC. 421. APPLICATIONS; ELIGIBILITY; SELECTION.

 ``

    (a) Applications.--The Secretary shall periodically set dates by 
which students shall file applications to complete for grants under 
this subpart. Each student desiring to compete for a grant under this 
subpart for any year shall file an application containing such 
information and assurances as the Secretary may determine necessary to 
enable the Secretary to carry out the functions and responsibilities of 
this subpart.
 ``

    (b) Demonstration of Grant Eligibility.--Each application 
submitted under subsection

    (a) shall contain such information as is 
necessary to demonstrate that the applicant is a student who--
 ``

    (1) is enrolled at an eligible institution;
 ``

    (2) is an eligible student for purposes of 

section 484;
 ``

    (3) is completing coursework and other requirements 
 necessary to begin a career in law enforcement or criminal 
 justice, or plans to complete such coursework and requirements 
 prior to graduating; and
 ``

    (4) has not obtained an associate or baccalaureate degree 
 related to law enforcement or criminal justice before receiving 
 a Law Enforcement Education grant.
 ``
            (c) Selection.--The Secretary shall award grants under this 
subpart competitively on the basis of criteria determined by the 
Secretary by regulation.

``

SEC. 422. AGREEMENTS TO SERVE.

 ``

    (a) Service Agreements.--Each application under 

section 421

    (a) shall contain or be accompanied by an agreement by the applicant that--
 ``

    (1) if selected to be a law enforcement candidate, the 
 applicant will--
 ``
        (A) serve as a full-time law enforcement officer 
 for a total of not less than 4 years within 8 years 
 after completing the course of study for which the 
 candidate received a Law Enforcement Education Grant 
 under this subpart; and
 ``
        (B) submit evidence of such employment in the 
 form of a certification by the chief officer of the law 
 enforcement agency or department employing the 
 candidate upon completion of each year of such service;
 ``

    (2) in the event that a law enforcement candidate is 
 determined to have failed or refused to carry out such service 
 obligation, the sum of the amounts of any Law Enforcement 
 Education Grants received by such candidate will be treated as 
 a loan and collected from the candidate in accordance with 
 subsection

    (b) and the regulations thereunder; and
 ``

    (3) contains, or is accompanied by, a plain-language 
 disclosure form developed by the Secretary that clearly 
 describes the nature of the Law Enforcement Education Grant 
 award, the service obligation, and the loan repayment 
 requirements that are the consequence of the failure to 
 complete the service obligation.
 ``

    (b) Repayment for Failure To Complete Service.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--In the event that law enforcement 
 candidate fails or refuses to comply with the service 
 obligation in the agreement under subsection

    (a) , the sum of 
 the amounts of any Law Enforcement Education Grants received by 
 such candidate shall, upon a determination of such a failure or 
 refusal in such service obligation, be treated as a Federal 
 Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan under part D of this title, 
 and shall be subject to repayment, together with interest 
 thereon accruing from the date the grant is converted to such a 
 Loan, in accordance with terms and conditions specified by the 
 Secretary in regulations under this subpart.
 ``

    (2) Extenuating circumstances.--The Secretary shall 
 establish, by regulation, categories of extenuating 
 circumstances under which a law enforcement candidate who is 
 unable to fulfill all or part of the candidate's service 
 obligation may be excused from fulfilling that portion of the 
 service obligation. Such categories shall ensure that a law 
 enforcement candidate who is hired and serves as a full-time 
 law enforcement officer but is unable to fulfill part of the 
 candidate's service obligation due to medical discharge by a 
 law enforcement agency or department because of a medical issue 
 resulting from service as a law enforcement officer shall be 
 excused from fulfilling the remaining portion of the service 
 obligation.

``

SEC. 423. DEFINITIONS.

 ``For the purposes of this subpart:
 ``

    (1) Eligible institution.--The term `eligible 
 institution' means an institution of higher education, as 
 defined in 

section 102, that--
 ``
        (A) provides an associate or baccalaureate degree 
 in a field related to law enforcement or criminal 
 justice; and
 ``
        (B) has been approved by the Police Officer 
 Standard and Training Board of the State in which the 
 institution is located or related State agency.
 ``

    (2) Law enforcement candidate.--The term `law enforcement 
 candidate' means an individual who is selected by the Secretary 
 to receive a Law Enforcement Education Grant under this 
 subpart.
 ``

    (3) Law enforcement officer.--The term `law enforcement 
 officer' means any officer, agent, or employee of a State, unit 
 of local government, of Indian tribe who is authorized to 
 supervise the prevention, detection, or investigation of any 
 violation of criminal law.''.

SEC. 3. REPEAL OF UNIVERSITY SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS.

 Part U of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1161u) is repealed.
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