RELEASE: Bipartisan, Bicameral “Invest to Protect Act” Reintroduced in the House to Strengthen and Support Local Law Enforcement Agencies

Above: Gottheimer, Rutherford, and Cortez Masto join law enforcement organizations to reintroduce the Invest to Protect Act.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, April 9, 2025, U.S. Representatives Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and John Rutherford (FL-5) and U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), joined by national and state law enforcement organizations, announced the introduction of the Invest to Protect Act of 2025. This critical legislation makes targeted investments in small and midsize departments with fewer than 175 sworn police officers, providing vital funds for recruitment, retention, training, and officer support.

This bipartisan, bicameral legislation is led in the House by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), former Sheriff Rep. John Rutherford (FL-5), and Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-4), and in the Senate by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

During the 117th Congress, the bipartisan Invest to Protect Act overwhelmingly passed the House with 360 votes. Other versions of the legislation have also passed the Senate. Despite broad support, a final agreed-upon bill has not yet fully passed out of Congress. This reintroduction renews the effort to deliver critical support to law enforcement officers serving communities across the country.

The bipartisan, bicameral Invest to Protect Act of 2025 will:

• Invest in officer safety, de-escalation, and domestic violence response training, allowing officers to receive critical training that will make them more effective at their jobs; 
• Create grants for small departments to recruit new officers to bolster their departments;
• Provide retention bonuses to keep existing officers as a part of their communities;
• Fund officers’ tuition for graduate studies in mental health, public health, and social work up to $10,000; and 
• Allow departments to provide mental health resources for their officers.

The critical need to support small and midsized police departments: 

• The vast majority of law enforcement agencies in the U.S. are smaller than 200 full-time sworn officers.
• More than 94% of local U.S. police departments have fewer than 100 sworn officers. 
• Small law enforcement agencies protect and serve our communities with strained resources and growing needs for additional support, training, and funding.  

Watch the press conference here. 

Find the bipartisan legislation here.

The 24 original House cosponsors include: Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), John Rutherford (FL-05), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Laura Gillen, (NY-04), Eric Sorenson (IL-17), Jim Costa (CA-21), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Andrew Garbarino (NY-02), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Pat Ryan (NY-18), Sean Casten (IL-08), Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ-06), Angie Craig (MN-02), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Josh Harder (CA-09), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Susie Lee (NV-03), Tom Suozzi (NY-03), Jared Golden (ME-02), Tim Kennedy (NY-26), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Lou Correa (CA-46), and Marie Glusenkamp Perez (WA-3).

The bipartisan Invest to Protect Act is endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the National Troopers Coalition, the New Jersey State Troopers Fraternal Association, the New Jersey State Troopers Non-Commissioned Officers Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association, Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA), National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA), Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), and the New Jersey State Police Benevolent Association.

“The bipartisan Invest to Protect Act will make critical investments in our departments and ensure that our police officers in smaller towns across New Jersey, and our nation, have the resources and training they need to keep themselves and communities safe,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer, Co-Chair of the bipartisan Law Enforcement Caucus. “If you want to make something better, you don’t get there by cutting or defunding. You need to make smart, targeted investments. You must invest, not defund. You can have both justice and public safety. You don’t have to pick between one or the other. This bipartisan legislation will help ensure we have both and protect our communities and officers.”

“Small police forces are often the most resource constrained agencies and suffer the most from a lack of operational equipment and services,” said Congressman John Rutherford (FL-05), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Law Enforcement Caucus. “As a former sheriff and career law enforcement officer, I am proud to join Congressman Gottheimer to reintroduce the Invest to Protect Act in the House to make trainings, retention tools, and mental health care resources more readily available for departments with fewer than 175 officers. It’s important we streamline the grant process for smaller law enforcement agencies to provide them with the resources they need to protect our communities nationwide.”

“Local police departments are the backbone of public safety for communities across the Silver State, but in conversations with law enforcement officers, I have heard over and over again that they need more resources,” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). “This bipartisan, bicameral legislation gives small departments across the country a boost in funding for training, recruitment, and mental health support. It’s commonsense, and it’s time to get it done.”

“The Fraternal Order of Police applauds the recent reintroduction of the ‘Invest to Protect Act’ in the House. This crucial piece of legislation would establish a program within the U.S. Department of Justice to provide grants to small departments for their training, recruitment and retention, college tuition, and social services like therapy and treatment. Year after year, this bill has remained a priority of the FOP. We owe it to our smaller departments to better equip them with the tools they need to carry out their duties to the best of their ability as they work tirelessly to protect our communities. We appreciate the leadership of Representatives Gottheimer and Rutherford to introduce this bill in the House. We look forward to working closely with Congress to ensure this gets across the finish line,” said the Fraternal Order of Police. 

“Improving public safety is a universal priority across law enforcement and is equally important in every locality in the U.S., from the smallest of towns to the largest metropolitan areas,” said President Vincent Vallelong of the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association. “That is why the federal government must ensure that smaller communities are not disadvantaged when it comes to applying for and receiving federal grant funds for hiring and training police officers and improving recruitment and retention efforts.  We appreciate the continued strong leadership of Representatives Gottheimer and Rutherford on the ‘Invest to Protect Act’ and other issues of importance to the law enforcement community.”

“On behalf of the National Tactical Officers Association and its over 40,000 members nationwide, I am proud to support the Invest to Protect Act,” said Thor Eells, Executive Director of the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA). “This bipartisan legislation is a needed step in providing critical training and equipment to smaller and rural police departments to help ensure the health, security, and safety of both law enforcement and the citizenry that they are sworn to protect.”

“The leadership of the STFA is grateful for Congressman Gottheimer’s commitment to the law enforcement community and his reintroduction of the Invest to Protect Act. As we continue to make progress for the brave men and women who serve on the front lines everyday and for the communities in which they serve, the Invest to Protect Act provides the essential resources that will allow police departments across the nations to succeed in achieving the goals of obtaining complete public trust, transparency, and accountability. Most importantly, the Act is a true investment in our troopers and officers as it will be a pathway to much needed training, mental health and resiliency resources, and provides essential recruiting and retention incentives to attract and retain highly qualified law enforcement professionals,” said Wayne Blanchard, President of the New Jersey State Troopers Fraternal Association, which represents over 1,900 rank and file New Jersey state troopers.

Below: Gottheimer, Rutherford, and Cortez Masto join law enforcement organizations to reintroduce the Invest to Protect Act.

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