# Plain Language Summary: Right to Remain Safe Act of 2021

This bill creates a financial penalty for cities and towns that reduce their police department budgets. Specifically, it says that any local government that has cut funding to its municipal police department cannot receive grant money from the Department of Justice unless they meet one of two conditions. The bill applies to cities, towns, townships, and other local communities across the country.

The first exception allows a city to still get federal grant money if they can prove they cut police funding because they genuinely couldn't afford it—meaning their entire budget was shrinking across the board, not just the police department. The second exception is more significant: a city can get the federal money if they agree to waive something called "sovereign immunity." In plain terms, this means the city would give up its legal protection against lawsuits. Specifically, residents could sue the city directly for property damage or personal injuries that result from the police department being defunded, and the city couldn't use sovereign immunity as a legal defense to dismiss those cases.

The practical effect is that this bill discourages cities from reducing police budgets by making it financially costly to do so. Cities that cut police funding would lose access to Department of Justice grants—money that often funds community policing programs, crime prevention initiatives, and law enforcement equipment. The only way around this penalty is to either prove financial hardship across the entire city budget or accept the risk of being sued by residents who claim they were harmed by reduced police services. This puts significant pressure on local governments to maintain or increase police funding, even if community leaders believe other approaches to public safety might be more effective.

Right to Remain Safe Act of 2021

Right to Remain Safe Act of 2021 This bill generally requires a local government to certify that its municipal police department has not been defunded in order to be eligible for grant funding from the Department of Justice.