HR309-119

What This Bill Does

The National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support and Community Outreach Act provides federal operating support for the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, D.C. The findings describe the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and National Law Enforcement Museum as the only U.S. law enforcement campus, built without federal construction funds, honoring officers who died in the line of duty, educating the public about law enforcement, and supporting officer safety and wellness. For the first seven fiscal years after enactment, Interior must award grants to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund for operating and enhancing the museum's community outreach, public education, and officer safety and wellness programs. Authorized uses include memorializing fallen officers, compiling fatality and injury statistics, honoring service and sacrifice, producing digital, print, and traveling educational resources, improving in-person and online public engagement, developing scholarly work, expanding collections and digitization, training teachers, partnering with educational agencies, scaling evidence-based museum and officer-safety innovations, providing free admission to active and retired officers and families of fallen officers, and offering weekly free public admission hours. The Memorial Fund must report annually for seven years on progress and federal fund expenditures, Interior must share the reports with Congress and post them online, and 6 million dollars per year is authorized for seven years, with possible National Park Service transfers if appropriations fall short.

Who Benefits and How

The National Law Enforcement Museum benefits from seven years of federal operating and program support. National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund staff benefit from grant funding for education, outreach, collections, digitization, and safety programming. Active law enforcement officers benefit from free museum admission and officer safety and wellness education. Families of fallen officers benefit from free admission and programs memorializing line-of-duty deaths. Teachers and students benefit from digital resources, traveling exhibits, curricula, workshops, and law enforcement history education. Local law enforcement agencies benefit from community outreach that can improve public understanding and officer safety.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Interior must award grants, review annual reports, share reports with Congress, and publish them online. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund must document progress and account for federal expenditures every year. National Park Service funds may be transferred if annual appropriations are below the 6 million dollar authorization. Museum administrators must use funds for authorized education, outreach, safety, wellness, research, collection, and admission activities.

Key Provisions

• Requires Interior grants to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund for the first seven fiscal years after enactment.
• Authorizes 6 million dollars annually for museum education, outreach, officer safety, wellness, and free-admission programs.
• Requires annual Memorial Fund reports on program progress and federal expenditures.
• Directs Interior to provide the reports to Congress and publish them on the department website.
• Allows National Park Service transfers to cover authorized grant amounts if appropriations fall short.