Measuring What Matters Act
This bill establishes a working group—the U.S. Commission on Reforming Police Metrics—to study best practices for measuring public trust in police institutions and including such findings in police performance measurement. The working group must report on its findings and conclusions, including recommendations.
The bill requires the Department of Justice to establish a pilot program to award competitive grants for technical assistance and financial support to local police departments and sheriff departments that carry out the recommendations of the working group.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4189 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4189
To direct the Attorney General to convene a national working group to
study proactive strategies and best practices to ensure the inclusion
of community satisfaction and trust in policing performance
measurement, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 25, 2021
Ms. Spanberger (for herself and Mr. Taylor) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Attorney General to convene a national working group to
study proactive strategies and best practices to ensure the inclusion
of community satisfaction and trust in policing performance
measurement, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Measuring What
Matters Act''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) On December 18, 2014, President Barack Obama signed an
Executive order establishing the Task Force on 21st Century
Policing. The President charged the task force with identifying
best practices and offering recommendations on how policing
practices can promote effective crime reduction while building
public trust.
(2) The task force, which met 7 times in January and
February of 2015, brought the 11 members of the task force
together with more than 100 individuals from diverse
stakeholder groups--police officers and executives, community
members, civic leaders, advocates, researchers, academics, and
others--in addition to many others who submitted written
testimony to study the problems from all perspectives.
(3) The task force recommendations, each with action items,
were organized around six main topic areas or ``pillars'', with
the first being the Building Trust and Legitimacy Pillar.
(4) Recommendation 1.7 under the Building Trust and
Legitimacy Pillar found that police departments should track
the level of trust in police by their communities just as they
measure changes in crime.
(5) The 1.7.1 action item of recommendation 1.7 was that
the Federal Government should develop survey tools and
instructions for use of such a model to prevent local
departments from incurring the expense and to allow for
consistency across jurisdictions.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WORKING GROUP.
Not later than 90 after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Attorney General shall establish a national working group, to be known
as the U.S. Commission on Reforming Police Metrics, to study best
practices and resources needed to--
(1) measure public trust in police institutions through the
inclusion of community input; and
(2) properly integrate the findings of the community input
in police performance measurement.
SEC. 3. DUTIES OF THE WORKING GROUP.
In carrying out the study described in section 2, the working group
shall--
(1) develop findings on the best means of facilitating
community input on--
(A) community trust in the procedural justice of
policing institutions; and
(B) information on what the community believes
about local crime, how to fight it, and how its
relationship with police serves or impedes progress;
(2) develop the means of inclusion and proper weighing of
community input into police performance measurement;
(3) develop best practices to increase community trust and
satisfaction with police performance;
(4) develop estimates and descriptions of the funding,
resources, and proactive strategies necessary for Federal,
State, and local police to successfully implement a system that
includes community input in police performance measurement; and
(5) develop findings and best practices for instilling a
sense of shared responsibility between communities and the
police for public safety through engagement, and accurate
metrics related to public safety measurement.
SEC. 4. MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP.
(a) Composition.--The working group shall be composed of such
representatives of Federal departments and agencies, non-Federal
policing institutions, nongovernmental organizations, community-based
organizations, and academic institutions as the Attorney General
determines appropriate. The Attorney General shall invite
representatives from the following organizations to be members of the
working group:
(1) The Director of the Office of Community Oriented
Policing Services of the Department of Justice.
(2) The Office of Justice Programs of the Department of
Justice.
(3) Community-based organizations and Civil Rights groups,
to include--
(A) the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People;
(B) UnidosUS;
(C) the League of United Latin American Citizens;
(D) the Japanese American Citizens League;
(E) the Organization of Chinese Americans;
(F) Muslim Advocates;
(G) the Council on American-Islamic Relations;
(H) the National Congress of American Indians;
(I) the National Organization for Women;
(J) the American Association of University Women;
(K) the Leadership Conference on Civil and Legal
Rights;
(L) the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism;
(M) the National Collection of Churches;
(N) the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops;
(O) the American Civil Liberties Union;
(P) the National Association for Civilian Oversight
of Law Enforcement;
(Q) the Mexican American Legal Defense and
Educational Fund; and
(R) the American Law Institute.
(4) Policing Institutions and Local Government
Organizations, to include--
(A) Major Cities Chiefs Association;
(B) the Fraternal Order of Police;
(C) the National Sheriffs Association;
(D) the National Police Foundation;
(E) the Police Executive Research Forum;
(F) the National Association of Police
Organizations;
(G) the National District Attorneys Association;
(H) the Conference of Mayors;
(I) the International Association of Chiefs of
Police;
(J) the National Association of Counties; and
(K) the Law Enforcement Action Partnership.
(b) Continuation of Membership.--If a member of a working group was
appointed based on membership in an agency or organization and the
member ceases to be a member of such agency or organization, such
member shall cease to be a member of the working group on the date on
which the member ceases to be a member of such agency or organization.
(c) Terms.--Each member should be appointed for the life of the
working group.
(d) Vacancy.--Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring
before the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor
was appointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of that term. A
member may serve after the expiration of that member's term until a
successor has taken office. A vacancy in the working group shall be
filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made.
(e) Compensation.--Members of the working group shall serve without
pay.
(f) Quorum.--A simple majority of the members constitutes a quorum,
but a lesser number may hold hearings.
(g) Chairperson.--The Chairperson of the working group shall be the
Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services of the
Department of Justice.
(h) Meetings.--The working group shall hold virtual meetings
monthly, and any subgroup of the working group shall hold additional
meetings as necessary.
SEC. 5. STAFF OF WORKING GROUP; EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.
(a) Staff.--The Chairperson of the working group may appoint and
fix the pay of additional personnel as the Chairperson considers
appropriate.
(b) Experts and Consultants.--The Chairperson may procure temporary
and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United
States Code.
(c) Detailees.--Upon request of the Chairperson, the head of any
Federal department or agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any
of the personnel of that department or agency to the working group to
assist it in carrying out its duties under this Act.
SEC. 6. POWERS OF THE WORKING GROUP.
(a) Hearings and Sessions.--The working group may, for the purpose
of carrying out this Act, hold hearings, sit and act at times and
places, take testimony, and receive evidence as the working group
considers appropriate. The working group may administer oaths or
affirmations to witnesses appearing before it.
(b) Powers of Members and Agents.--Any member or agent of the
working group may, if authorized by the Chairperson, take any action
which the working group is authorized to take by this section,
including requesting information and data.
(c) Obtaining Official Data.--The working group may secure directly
from any department or agency of the United States information
necessary to enable it to carry out this Act. Upon request of the
Chairperson of the working group, the head of that department or agency
shall furnish that information to the working group.
(d) Mails.--The working group may use the United States mails in
the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments and
agencies of the United States.
(e) Administrative Support Services.--Upon the request of the
working group, the Administrator of General Services shall provide to
the working group, on a reimbursable basis, the administrative support
services necessary for the working group to carry out its
responsibilities under this Act.
SEC. 7. REPORT.
Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
the working group shall submit to the Attorney General, the Committees
on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and
the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and
the Senate, a report, which shall contain a detailed statement of the
findings and conclusions of the working group, together with its
recommendations for a pilot program.
SEC. 8. TERMINATION.
(a) In General.--The working group shall terminate 120 days after
submission of the report, unless the Attorney General determines that
such termination is not appropriate.
(b) Reconvening Group.--In the case that the working group
terminates, the Attorney General may reconvene the working group in
accordance with this Act.
SEC. 9. PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the working group
submits its report to Congress, the Attorney General shall establish a
competitive pilot program which shall award grants to police
departments and sheriffs departments that carry out the recommendations
of the working group's report. The purpose of the pilot program shall
be to provide technical assistance and financial support to local
police departments and sheriffs departments in carrying out the
recommendations of the working group.
(b) Applications.--To receive a grant under this section, a police
department or sheriffs department shall submit to the Attorney General
an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Attorney General may require.
(c) Limited Membership in Pilot Program.--To ensure a group of
participating agencies representative of the United States, the
Attorney General shall limit participation in the pilot program to not
more than 15 agencies nationwide. When selecting these agencies, the
Attorney General shall ensure the inclusion of--
(1) at least three police departments from major United
States cities;
(2) at least two police departments from mid-sized United
States cities;
(3) at least one police department serving a suburban
county;
(4) at least one Tribal police department;
(5) at least two police departments serving rural counties;
and
(6) at least two sheriffs departments.
(d) Other Considerations.--In selecting participants for the pilot
program, the Attorney General shall consider--
(1) whether the agency is, as of the date of submission of
the application, or has been, during the 5-year period before
such submission, subject to a consent decree or a pattern or
practice investigation by the Department of Justice under
section 210401 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement
Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12601); and
(2) whether the agencies participating are representative
when considering--
(A) geography;
(B) race; and
(C) socioeconomic makeup.
(e) Report.--The Attorney General shall submit to Congress on an
annual basis a report, which shall include--
(1) information related to the operation of the pilot
program under this section, including police performance
measurements used by participating police departments and any
changes in department practices implemented by agencies in
response to the new performance measures; and
(2) the recommendations of the advisory group described in
subsection (f).
(f) Advisory Group.--
(1) In general.--The Attorney General shall form an
advisory group, including members of the working group and such
other members as the Attorney General may designate, to oversee
the pilot program established under this section and make
recommendations for the improvement of such program.
(2) Final report.--The advisory group formed under
paragraph (1) shall submit to the Attorney General and Congress
a report on--
(A) any findings with respect to the pilot program;
(B) recommendations with respect to how best
practices of the pilot program may be incorporated in
programs and practices of the Department of Justice;
and
(C) a recommendation with respect to whether the
pilot program should be reauthorized permanently.
SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated from the general fund of the
Treasury such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
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