Recruit and Retain Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. IVEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 546, the Recruit and Retain Act. H.R. 3325, the identical House version of the bill that I am co- leading with Congressman Hunt of Texas, passed the Judiciary Committee last week.

The Recruit and Retain Act addresses two key goals that are central to Police Week, recruiting young people who want to become law enforcement officers for the right reasons, and relieving the financial burden of recruiting and retaining law enforcement officers by assisting law enforcement agencies with the costs of the recruitment and application process.

The Recruit and Retain Act is supported by the Fraternal Order of Police, National Sheriffs' Association, Major Cities Chiefs Association, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, National Association of Police Organizations, Major County Sheriffs of America, and several other organizations.

Recruiting and retaining highly trained law enforcement professionals is of the utmost importance. Our ability to attract and develop the best, brightest, and most compassionate and dedicated men and women of diverse backgrounds is vital to the health and well-being of our Nation.

Keeping our residents safe and promoting better community relations will lead to safer streets and better policing. We must incentivize hiring and retaining the people who will do the best job of safeguarding our communities through wise use of the most up-to-date law enforcement techniques.

For quite some time, law enforcement agencies nationwide have been facing a challenge in their efforts to maintain an appropriately staffed police force. Due in part to changing demographics, they have experienced high rates of resignations and retirements of law enforcement officers.

The 2021 Police Executive Research Forum Workforce Survey of law enforcement agencies revealed a 5 percent decrease in the overall hiring rate, an 18 percent increase in resignations, and a 45 percent increase in retirements from responding agencies.

The Recruit and Retain Act would establish a new model for the productive recruitment of future law enforcement officers who want to join police forces for the right reasons. Enhancing recruitment of qualified law enforcement officers who are dedicated to the highest principles of policing may also reduce an agency's attrition and resignations over the long term.

Through the bill's Pipeline Partnership Program, students will benefit from age-appropriate teachings about the rule of law, the value of law in an ordered society, and the centrality of the law enforcement and judicial systems, including the role that law enforcement officers play in maintaining these values within our society.

With age-appropriate introductions to the concepts of law and its importance coming from law enforcement officers and teachers in a friendly setting, some students may choose to join law enforcement, while others may become inspired to pursue careers as lawyers or public servants in other areas of government.

An introduction of law enforcement through schools would, in some ways, be similar to a Junior ROTC program for older students who may become interested in law enforcement careers without a contractual commitment. It could increase the number of candidates entering the law enforcement recruitment officer pipeline for desirable reasons.

The Pipeline Partnership Program would initially be deployed in a small number of jurisdictions, similar to a pilot program, and its positive outcomes could subsequently encourage other jurisdictions to replicate it.

The Recruit and Retain Act will also reduce the administrative costs of recruiting and retaining officers by assisting with the expenses of application fees, such as those for background checks, psychological evaluations, and testing. Funds would be made available to defray the costs of hiring applicants and rehiring officers, taking the burden off of strained law enforcement agencies.

Additionally, our bill directs the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study to better understand the factors that influence recruitment and loss of law enforcement agencies. This study will also recommend practices that will help reduce barriers to addressing these issues.

Importantly, the GAO study will assess recruitment, retention, and retirement factors experienced by law enforcement agencies nationwide in communities of all sizes, including those in rural areas which, in some contexts, receive less attention when law enforcement policies are evaluated and developed.

To facilitate those initiatives, rather than allocate additional funds, the Recruit and Retain Act would allow jurisdictions that receive COPS grants to utilize funds from those grants for the purposes outlined in the bill, with some limits and restrictions.

The bill also includes an annual list of $3 million of COPS grant funds that can be used to connect students with law enforcement officers and agencies through the Pipeline Partnership Program. Although this is a very modest sum, it is sufficient for the creation of this program in a limited number of States and municipalities to test this concept.

By implementing these projects in limited locations across the Nation, the Recruit and Retain Act will help States and localities make informed decisions about adopting the program and its law enforcement recruitment procedures.

Madam Speaker, I thank, again, Congressman Hunt for his leadership on this legislation. It is for these reasons that I support S. 546, and I urge my colleagues to support this important bill, as well.

In closing, Madam Speaker, the Recruit and Retain Act initiatives, taken together, will serve as a de facto pilot project for many localities, large and small, urban and rural, that struggle with law enforcement recruitment and retention. Law enforcement agencies will be able to benefit from each other's experience when replicating initiatives created by this legislation's innovative solutions.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 546, the Recruit and Retain Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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