Criminal Justice (Policing · Public Safety)

This bill creates a grant program to help gateway municipalities retain public safety staff. Gateway municipalities are defined as those with 35,000-250,000 residents, below-average income, and below-average bachelor's degree attainment. Eligible departments (fire, police, ambulance, etc.) can receive grants if they offer specific retention incentives like competitive wages, cost-of-living adjustments, or retention bonuses. Grant amounts are based on how many eligible incentives a department provides, and funds can be used to hire more staff or for other approved purposes.