Federal grant program funds law enforcement to solve violent crimes, support victims

What it does

This bill creates a $60 million annual grant program (2027–2031) run by the Department of Justice to help state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies improve their clearance rates for homicides and firearm-related violent crimes. Eligible agencies can use grants to hire investigators, buy forensic technology, train personnel, support crime victims and their families, and develop evidence-based practices. The bill requires grantees to report on hiring, technology purchases, clearance rates, and victim demographics, and mandates DOJ audits to prevent fraud.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a straightforward federal grant program designed to improve law enforcement capacity to solve violent crimes and support victims. It is a direct public-safety investment with clear accountability measures.

What the text implies

• Grant recipients must report detailed demographic data on victims and suspects (race, sex, age), which could inform disparate-impact analysis but also creates a new federal data collection on criminal investigations.
• The bill requires vetting of new hires against the National Decertification Index and National Law Enforcement Accountability Database, potentially raising hiring standards but also creating barriers for agencies in jurisdictions with incomplete records.
• Victim services funding (emergency food, housing, counseling, legal advice) may create dependency on federal grants; if funding lapses after 2031, agencies may struggle to sustain these services.
• The 'clearance by exception' definition allows agencies to count cases as cleared even when suspects are not arrested (e.g., suspect died, victim refused to cooperate, extradition denied), which may inflate clearance-rate metrics without corresponding prosecutions.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill funds investigative capacity and victim services for violent crimes, directly benefiting crime victims and their families through emergency assistance, counseling, and legal support. Improved clearance rates for homicides and firearm crimes serve the broader public interest in public safety and accountability.

Who stands to gain

• state and local law enforcement agencies
• tribal law enforcement agencies
• forensic technology and equipment vendors
• victim services organizations and contractors

Named in the bill

Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), National Institute of Justice, Office of the Inspector General (DOJ), state law enforcement agencies, tribal law enforcement agencies, local law enforcement agencies, National Decertification Index, National Law Enforcement Accountability Database

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.

• May 12, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• May 12, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $30,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 20 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Dwight Evans, the sponsor, reported $96,500 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Prison Fellowship Ministries — $30,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 16, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.