Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act
Sponsored By: Senator Amy Klobuchar
In Committee
Summary
This bill would create a federal grant program to hire retired law enforcement officers for civilian law enforcement tasks. It would let state, local, Tribal, and territorial agencies use grant money to hire retirees to train civilian staff and perform investigations and technical work, while explicitly excluding arrest powers or use of force.
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- Retired officers: Could be rehired to do investigative, forensic, IT, and training work, giving experienced personnel paid roles without authority to arrest or use force.
- Law enforcement agencies: Agencies could use grants to shift homicide, carjacking, financial-crime investigations, camera review, and other civilian tasks to retirees so sworn officers can focus elsewhere.
- Oversight and taxpayers: Grants would be audited starting in the first fiscal year after enactment, and a final Inspector General finding unresolved after 12 months would make a recipient ineligible for new grants for two fiscal years; the Attorney General must also check for duplicative awards and report overlaps to relevant congressional committees.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Grants to Hire Retired Officers
If enacted, the Attorney General could give grants to state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies to hire retired officers. Grants could pay for retired officers to train civilian staff and to perform defined civilian law enforcement tasks. Agencies would have to certify that hired retirees have reasonably current training or will take continuing education. The Justice Department Office of Inspector General would begin audits in the first fiscal year after enactment. An "unresolved audit finding" is an unauthorized use of grant funds not closed within 12 months. A grantee with an unresolved finding could not receive grants for the next two fiscal years. The Attorney General must check for duplicative grants, report when similar awards are made, and give priority to applicants without unresolved findings from the prior three fiscal years. Agencies getting grants must try to check a retiree's disciplinary or decertification records and have a senior officer review any records before hiring.
Defines Civilian Police Support Work
If enacted, the bill would define the term "civilian law enforcement task." The list would include non-arrest work like homicide, carjacking, and financial-crime investigations, camera footage review, crime-scene and forensics analysis, and computer or IT expertise. The definition would explicitly say these tasks do not include making arrests or using force under color of law. This definitional change would take effect upon enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
IA • R
Sponsored 5/1/2025
Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 5/8/2025
Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
HI • D
Sponsored 5/20/2025
Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
DE • D
Sponsored 5/21/2025
Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA]
GA • D
Sponsored 7/17/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov