Improving Police CARE Act
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedReported by Mr. Grassley, without amendment
Passed Senate (inferred from es version)
Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Coons, …
Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Coons, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill requires trauma kits purchased with Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funds to meet performance standards developed by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The standards must require specific components including TCCC-recommended tourniquets, bleeding control bandages, gloves, scissors, and instructional documents from Stop the Bleed or similar programs. BJA must also develop optional best practices for training officers and deploying kits in vehicles and facilities.
Who Benefits and How
- Law enforcement officers and first responders benefit from standardized, quality trauma kits that can save lives during critical incidents.
- Trauma kit manufacturers meeting standards gain market access as their products become eligible for federal grant purchases.
- Tourniquet manufacturers recommended by TCCC (Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care) gain explicit preferred status.
- Stop the Bleed program and partners (DHS, American College of Surgeons, American Red Cross, DoD) benefit from required inclusion of their training materials.
- Trauma surgeons, emergency physicians, and EMS organizations gain formal consultation role in developing standards.
- Shooting and trauma victims benefit from standardized bleeding control equipment being available.
Who Bears the Burden and How
- Bureau of Justice Assistance must develop and publish standards within 180 days and consult with multiple stakeholder groups.
- Trauma kit manufacturers not meeting standards lose eligibility for JAG-funded purchases.
- JAG grant recipients are restricted to purchasing only compliant trauma kits (though can assemble kits from separate components).
Key Provisions
- Trauma kits must meet BJA performance standards to be purchased with JAG funds
- Required components: TCCC-recommended tourniquet, bleeding control bandage, nonlatex gloves, marker, scissors, instructional documents, container
- Allows additional supplies approved by state/local/tribal law enforcement
- BJA must consult trauma surgeons, EMS, emergency physicians, law enforcement organizations
- Optional best practices for officer training and kit deployment in vehicles and facilities
- Grantees can assemble their own kits from components meeting standards
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Establishes performance standards for trauma kits purchased using Byrne JAG grant funds, requiring specific bleeding control components and developing optional best practices for law enforcement agency deployment and training.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Standardize trauma kit quality for law enforcement to improve emergency bleeding control response"
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "director_bja"
- → Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A first aid response kit, which includes a bleeding control kit that can be used for controlling a life-threatening hemorrhage
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology