H.R. 8849

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8849 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8849

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
improve the COPS program with respect to training command-level 
personnel, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 15, 2026

Mr. Fry (for himself and Mr. Gottheimer) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
improve the COPS program with respect to training command-level 
personnel, and for other purposes.

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 ``Promoting Police Leadership Act''.

SEC. 2. COMMANDER CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT.

(a) Definitions.--Section 901(a) of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10251(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (32), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (33), by striking the period at the end 
and inserting a semicolon; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(34) the term `command-level personnel' means law 
enforcement officers employed by a State, local, or Tribal law 
enforcement agency whose responsibilities include managing, 
directing, or overseeing law enforcement operations within a 
geographic subunit of the jurisdiction in which such agency has 
primary responsibility for law enforcement activities.''.
(b) COPS Program.--Section 1701 of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
``(q) Training in Improving Police Command-Level Personnel 
Leadership, Management, and Effectiveness.--
``(1) Training curricula.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this subsection, the Attorney 
General shall develop training curricula or identify 
effective existing training curricula for command-level 
personnel relating to--
``(i) leadership and strategic thinking;
``(ii) critical incident response and 
management, including understanding, preparing 
for, and responding to the effect of critical 
incidents on officers and communities;
``(iii) risk management;
``(iv) officer wellness;
``(v) data analysis and data-driven 
policing tactics;
``(vi) evidence-based decision making; and
``(vii) building community trust.
``(B) Requirements.--The training curricula 
developed or identified under this paragraph shall 
include--
``(i) primarily in-person instruction and 
peer-to-peer learning;
``(ii) a framework for a practical, 
evidence-based problem solving component under 
which participating command-level personnel--
``(I) identify and develop a 
proposed solution to a leadership, 
operational, or management challenge 
relevant to personnel in the command-
level personnel's employing law 
enforcement agency;
``(II) receive feedback from 
curriculum instructors and other 
participating command-level personnel 
to refine the proposed solution 
accordingly to meet the needs of the 
law enforcement agency and community 
served; and
``(III) present a final, 
implementable product emphasizing 
evidence-based strategies to program 
instructors and the command-level 
personnel's district or geographic 
command; and
``(iii) the incorporation of pre-course and 
post-course assessments to measure knowledge 
acquisition and leadership competencies 
relevant to the training curricula.
``(C) Consultation.--The Attorney General shall 
develop and identify training curricula under this 
paragraph in consultation with relevant law enforcement 
agencies of States and units of local government, 
universities with appropriate law-enforcement or 
leadership programs, and any other entities the 
Attorney General determines appropriate.
``(2) Certified programs and courses.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after 
the date on which training curricula are developed or 
identified under paragraph (1), the Attorney General 
shall establish a process to--
``(i) certify training programs and courses 
offered to command-level personnel which 
incorporate 1 or more of the training curricula 
developed or identified under paragraph (1), or 
equivalents to such training curricula, which 
may include certifying training programs or 
courses offered on or before the date on which 
the Attorney General establishes the process; 
and
``(ii) terminate the certification of a 
training program or course that fails to meet 
the standards developed or identified under 
paragraph (1).
``(B) Partnerships with educational institutions.--
Not later than 180 days after the date on which 
training curricula are developed or identified under 
paragraph (1), the Attorney General shall develop 
criteria to ensure that entities which offer training 
programs or courses that are certified under 
subparagraph (A) collaborate with educational 
institutions to evaluate and continuously improve the 
curricula and coursework of those educational 
institutions.
``(3) List.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which 
the Attorney General completes the activities required under 
paragraphs (1) and (2), the Attorney General shall publish a 
list of law enforcement agencies of States and units of local 
government employing law enforcement officers who have 
successfully completed a course using the training curricula 
developed or identified under paragraph (1), or equivalents to 
such training curricula, which shall include--
``(A) the total number of law enforcement officers 
that are employed by the law enforcement agency; and
``(B) the number of law enforcement officers who 
have completed such a course.''.

SEC. 3. ATTORNEY GENERAL REPORTS.

(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until the date 
that is 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Attorney General shall submit to Congress a report on the 
activities carried out as a result of the amendments made under 
section 2.
(2) Contents.--Each report under paragraph (1) shall 
include, at a minimum, information on--
(A) steps taken by the Attorney General to develop 
or identify curricula under section 1701(q)(1) of the 
Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as 
added by section 2;
(B) any assessments conducted or identified by the 
Attorney General on the effectiveness and utilization 
of curricula developed or identified under section 
1701(q)(1) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968, as added by section 2;
(C) recommendations for curriculum updates and 
improvements; and
(D) barriers to training implementation.

SEC. 4. GAO REPORT.

Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall--
(1) conduct a review of the actions taken by the Attorney 
General pursuant to this Act and the amendments made by this 
Act; and
(2) submit to Congress a report on the review conducted 
under paragraph (1), which shall include a description of--
(A) the process for developing and identifying 
curricula under section 1701(q)(1) of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as added by 
section 2, including the effectiveness of the 
consultation by the Attorney General with the agencies, 
associations, and organizations identified under that 
section; and
(B) the certification of training programs and 
courses under section 1701(q)(2) of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as added by 
section 2, including the development of the process for 
certification and its implementation.

SEC. 5. STATE CERTIFICATIONS AND TRAINING STANDARDS.

Nothing in this Act, or an amendment made by this Act, shall be 
construed to preempt or replace the authority of any State or local 
government, including any Peace Officer Standards and Training entity 
or similar certifying body, to set and enforce certification, training, 
or qualification standards for law enforcement officers.
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