YourVoice.Now Summary
Criminal Justice & Due ProcessWorkers & JobsTransparency & AccountabilitySmall-town police could get federal grants for de-escalation training, officer mental health care, and hiring bonuses.
Criminal Justice & Due Process
Towns, counties, and tribes with fewer than 175 officers could use grants for de-escalation training. That teaches officers to slow a situation down so less force, or none, is needed.
Grants could pay for proven training on deadly and non-deadly force. They could also cover training on an officer's duty to step in when another officer crosses the line.
Grants could pay for safety training for calls with people in crisis. That covers calls about mental illness, drug use, or homelessness. It also covers calls with veterans, at-risk kids, and abuse victims.
Workers & Jobs
Small departments could use grants for signing bonuses in any amount they set. Retention bonuses are capped at 20% of pay, for officers with 5+ years, no serious misconduct, and a 3-year stay pledge.
Grants could pay for officers to get counseling, peer support, and care for trauma. Their families could get help too. Some care could come by video visit.
Officers studying mental health, public health, or social work could get a stipend. It is capped at $10,000 or what the officer pays, whichever is less.
Transparency & Accountability
A town that pays a signing or retention bonus must post the amount on its website within 60 days. It must also tell the Justice Department, which would report all bonuses to Congress each year.
The Justice Department's inspector general would audit some grant users every year. A town that misspent money and did not fix it within 12 months could not get these grants for 3 years. Money paid to a barred town would be sought back.
More about this bill
Small police departments could get federal money to train officers, hire them, and keep them. The grants would go to towns, counties, and tribes with fewer than 175 officers. Congress would allow up to $50 million a year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. The Justice Department's community policing office would have to start giving grants within 120 days. Applying is meant to take no more than 2 hours. Money could pay for training on calming tense scenes, domestic violence calls, and use of force. It could also pay for signing bonuses, mental health care for officers, and up to $10,000 toward a graduate degree. A retention bonus could not top 20% of pay. It would go only to officers with at least 5 years on the job and no serious misconduct. Towns would have to post each bonus amount online. The inspector general would audit grant users each year. A town that misused funds and did not fix it would be shut out for 3 years.
Congressional Summary
Invest to Protect Act of 2025 This bill directs the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to award grants to local and tribal governments that employ fewer than 175 law enforcement officers. Grant funds may be used for various activities, including to provide de-escalation training and improve recruitment and retention.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-02-27
- Date Added
- 2026-10-07
- Source
- Congress.gov →
Like reading a bill in plain English?
We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.