Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act
A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See all 6 cosponsors
Last activity — Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 83.
Cleared committee, waiting for its first floor vote
A committee approved it and it is on the calendar of the chamber it started in.
This is further than most bills get, and still no promise of a vote: the calendar is a queue, and the majority leadership decides what is called. A bill can sit here until the Congress ends.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- On Calendar
What this bill would do
The Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act creates a grant program for State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies. These grants allow agencies to hire retired law enforcement personnel to perform or train others on civilian law enforcement tasks. These tasks include things like forensics, crime scene analysis, and homicide investigations. The bill explicitly states that these roles do not include the power to make arrests or use force. It also establishes audit and disciplinary record requirements to ensure accountability.
Yes· 3 of 12
- Scored +5
Would people over 65 be better off under this?
Creates specific employment opportunities for retired law enforcement officers.
- Scored +5
Would retired people be better off under this?
Directly benefits retired law enforcement officers by providing a path to continued service and income.
- Scored +3
Is this likely to create jobs?
The bill provides grants specifically to hire retired law enforcement personnel for civilian tasks.
The opposite
- Scored -1
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
The bill establishes a new grant program, which increases government expenditure.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Enhanced Investigative Support: The bill allows for retired experts to assist in homicide, carjacking, and financial crimes investigations, as well as provide IT and forensics expertise (Section 3061). This could lead to better solving of crimes.
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Officer Accountability: Agencies must make a good faith effort to check the disciplinary and internal investigation records of retired officers via the National Decertification Index or personnel records before hiring them (Section 3062(b)).
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Prevention of Waste: The Inspector General of the Department of Justice will conduct audits to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of grant funds (Section 3063(b)).
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Fiscal Responsibility: The Attorney General must check for duplicative grants to ensure funds are not being awarded multiple times for the same purpose (Section 3063(d)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Limited Oversight on Hiring: The bill requires a "good faith effort" to determine disciplinary records rather than a mandatory, strict requirement for all candidates (Section 3062(b)).
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Grant Exclusion: Law enforcement agencies that have an "unresolved audit finding" will be blocked from receiving funds for two fiscal years, which could leave some communities without these extra resources (Section 3063(b)).
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 retired people be better off under this? — Directly benefits retired law enforcement officers by providing a path to continued service and income. Would people over 65 be better off under this? — Creates specific employment opportunities for retired law enforcement officers. Would Native Americans be better off under this? — Explicitly includes Tribal law enforcement agencies as eligible entities for grants. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — Provides rural agencies with access to specialized expertise they might otherwise lack. Would people in cities be better off under this? — May improve the solving of urban crimes like carjackings and homicides through expert staffing.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to create jobs? — The bill provides grants specifically to hire retired law enforcement personnel for civilian tasks. Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — Includes strict audit requirements and measures to prevent duplicative grant awards. Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — The bill establishes a new grant program, which increases government expenditure.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Requires annual certifications and reports on grant exclusions and duplicative awards. Does this give the federal government more power? — Increases federal oversight of local agencies through grant auditing and certification requirements.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into scientific research? — Provides funding for forensics and crime scene analysis expertise.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this better protect the country from computer attacks? — Provides grants for personnel with expertise in computers and information technology to assist law enforcement.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this change how police departments operate? — The bill shifts certain tasks to civilian roles and requires disciplinary record checks for new hires.
- 12/1/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/17/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/21/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/20/2025
- Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 83.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/15/2025
- Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- 5/8/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/1/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Christopher CoonsDemocrat · Delaware
Richard DurbinDemocrat · Illinois
Chuck GrassleyRepublican · Iowa
Mazie HironoDemocrat · Hawaii
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · Oregon
Jon OssoffDemocrat · Georgia