Cortez Masto’s Bipartisan Bill to Fund Small Police Departments Advances Through Committee

Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

May 19, 2022

Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-Nev.) legislation to support small law enforcement agencies across the country passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. The legislation now heads to the Senate floor for consideration by the full Senate. The bipartisan Invest to Protect Act would provide $250 million over the next five years to support small law enforcement agencies across the country so they can invest in training, equipment, mental health support, and recruitment and retention.

“I know from talking with officers from Nevada’s smaller law enforcement agencies that they often struggle to compete with larger ones for access to critical resources. We need to make sure that every kind of community can get access to the funding it needs to recruit officers and train them well. I’m thrilled this legislation is one step closer to becoming law.”

As the former top law enforcement official in Nevada, Senator Cortez Masto has been a leading advocate in the Senate for our police officers and is part of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus. She secured historic funding for the Byrne JAG grant program in the FY2022 omnibus. The program is the leading source of criminal justice funding for state, local, and tribal governments and provides support for a range of programs related to crime prevention, law enforcement, prosecution, corrections, and mental and behavioral health. Her bipartisan bills to combat the crisis of law enforcement suicide and provide mental health resources to police officers were both signed into law. 

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