A Democratic bill with 3 Republican cosponsors · See all 8 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the ``COPS Reauthorization Act of 2026'', aims to reauthorize the COPS ON THE BEAT grant program. It amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to update funding levels for specific fiscal years. Additionally, the legislation seeks to establish the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, or the COPS Office, within the Department of Justice. This office would be a separate and distinct entity under the authority of the Attorney General. The office will be led by a Director appointed by the President.
Yes· 3 of 6
- Scored +4
Would people in cities be better off under this?
Urban areas are primary recipients of community policing grants to improve public safety.
- Scored +3
Is this likely to create jobs?
Funding for the COPS grant program supports the hiring of additional police officers.
- Scored +2
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
Community-oriented policing often focuses on improving safety in underserved neighborhoods.
The opposite
- Scored -2
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
The bill allocates over 1 billion dollars annually through 2031.
- Scored -1
Does this reduce what the federal government owes?
The bill authorizes significant government spending over several fiscal years.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Continued Grant Funding: The bill updates the funding amount to $1,047,119,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031, which reauthorizes the COPS ON THE BEAT grant program (Section 2(a)).
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Established Oversight Structure: The creation of the COPS Office as a separate and distinct office within the Department of Justice provides a specific entity to manage community policing functions (Section 2(b)).
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Clear Leadership Authority: The bill establishes a Director, appointed by the President, who has final authority over all grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts awarded by the Office (Section 2(b)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts or burdens are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would people in cities be better off under this? — Urban areas are primary recipients of community policing grants to improve public safety. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Community-oriented policing often focuses on improving safety in underserved neighborhoods. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Rural law enforcement agencies can also benefit from the grant funding.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill establishes a new presidential-appointed office within the Department of Justice.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this change how police departments operate? — The bill supports community-oriented policing which focuses on building ties between police and communities.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to create jobs? — Funding for the COPS grant program supports the hiring of additional police officers. Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — The bill allocates over 1 billion dollars annually through 2031. Does this reduce what the federal government owes? — The bill authorizes significant government spending over several fiscal years.
- 9/14/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/21/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/19/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/15/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/14/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 5/12/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
Sanford BishopDemocrat · Georgia
Brian FitzpatrickRepublican · Pennsylvania
Brad FinstadRepublican · Minnesota
Josh GottheimerDemocrat · New Jersey
John RutherfordRepublican · Florida
Derek TranDemocrat · California
Eugene VindmanDemocrat · Virginia
George WhitesidesDemocrat · California