EdCOPS Act of 2025
The EdCOPS Act of 2025 would add a new Public Safety Officer Education Assistance Program to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. The program is designed to help state, local, tribal, and regional law enforcement agencies recruit and retain public safety officers by providing education benefits. To qualify, an officer must have at least eight years of service with a single employer and commit to four additional years with that employer after applying. Eligible officers or their children (including stepchildren) could receive direct financial assistance for approved higher education programs, with benefits calculated using the formula found in 38 U.S.C. § 3532. The program imposes a 45-month limit on benefits (full-time) and a child-beneficiary age cap of 27. Benefits can be transferred to a child, with the officer’s approval, and the program would prioritize applicants with financial need via a sliding-scale mechanism. The Attorney General would regulate the program, approve or deny applications, and authorize funding as needed.
Key Points
- 1Creation of PART PP under Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act to establish the Public Safety Officer Education Assistance Program, aimed at improving recruitment and retention of public safety officers through higher education support.
- 2Eligibility requirements: an “eligible public safety officer” must have at least 8 years of service with a single employer and must agree to a 4-year continuation of service with that employer after submitting an application for assistance; program also covers eligible children of such officers.
- 3Benefits and duration: financial assistance is provided directly to the recipient (officer or child, if eligibility is transferred) and the amount is determined by the formula in 38 U.S.C. § 3532; benefits are limited to 45 months of full-time education or an equivalent part-time duration; a child beneficiary cannot receive assistance after age 27.
- 4Transfers and eligibility: an officer may transfer eligibility for all or part of the assistance to a child (or another eligible recipient), with the officer’s approval required for a recipient who is not the officer themselves.
- 5Regulations and priorities: the Attorney General may issue regulations, including a sliding-scale prioritization that prefers applicants with financial need; program can be discontinued for unsatisfactory progress per HEA standards; appropriations are authorized as necessary (no explicit cap).