HR309-119

What This Bill Does

The bill directs the Interior Secretary to award the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund a $6 million grant in each of seven fiscal years beginning after enactment, but only when advance appropriations are available and the Fund satisfies application requirements. The money is restricted to the National Law Enforcement Museum's community outreach, public education, and officer safety and wellness activities. Eligible uses include historical research, exhibitions, digital materials, collection conservation, school partnerships and professional development.

Who Benefits and How

The Memorial Fund and museum staff gain a potential recurring source of support for those programs. Active and retired law enforcement officers and family members of fallen officers receive free admission as a condition of the grants. General public museum users must receive dedicated free hours at least weekly. Teachers and educational agencies may benefit from curriculum resources and training, while officer safety programs may improve access to information; the bill does not guarantee a reduction in injuries.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Fund must apply, meet the Secretary's requirements and allow annual federal audits of its financial statements, including ticket revenue, donations, salaries and operating expenditure. Those statements are subject to Interior review and public availability. The Fund must report to the specified congressional committees within 90 days after each fiscal year in which grant funds are used. Interior administrators must evaluate complete applications and award qualifying grants within 90 days. The reported text adds these conditions and removes the earlier authority to transfer National Park Service funds to cover a shortfall. It states that no additional funds are authorized, so the seven grants are not an automatic $42 million appropriation.

Key Provisions

• Provides for $6 million annual grants over seven fiscal years, conditional on advance appropriations and a qualifying application.
• Limits grant uses to museum education, community outreach and officer safety and wellness programming.
• Requires free admission for the specified officer and family groups and weekly free public hours.
• Requires annual federal financial audits and congressional reports within 90 days after the relevant fiscal year.
• Removes the proposed National Park Service funding-transfer fallback.