H.R. 5768 would direct the Department of Justice to establish a program to award grants to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to improve the rate at which they solve crimes. Grants could be used for retaining or hiring detectives, upgrading forensic equipment, and ensuring victims of crimes have access to necessities, such as food and housing. Grant recipients would be required to report annually on how their funds were used, and the National Institute of Justice would be required to evaluate recipients’ ability to improve solving crimes and report to the Congress on the results every two years.
H.R. 5768 would authorize the appropriation of $100 million for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2032. Of the amounts appropriated, 10 percent must be awarded to tribal law enforcement agencies. Using historical spending patterns, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $377 million over the 2022-2027 period and an additional $500 million over the 2028-2032 period. Such spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
