# The BUILD Act of 2023: What It Does

This bill creates two new federal grant programs to help small police departments and fire departments pay for building improvements and upgrades. The money is specifically targeted at law enforcement and fire services in communities with populations under 50,000 people—basically small towns and rural areas that often struggle to fund infrastructure projects on their own.

For police departments, the bill makes up to $4 million available per grant to help them modify, upgrade, or build new facilities. The money can be used for projects that improve emergency services, train officers, help recruit and keep officers on the job, engage with the community, or enhance public safety. Similarly, fire departments—whether they're all-paid, all-volunteer, or a mix of both—can receive up to $4 million per grant for comparable facility improvements. Both programs would receive $250 million per year for three years (2024-2026), meaning roughly $750 million total would be available across both programs during this period.

To get a grant, departments have to apply and show they actually need the money and explain what project they want to fund. The Attorney General (for police) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (for fire departments) will handle the applications and try to spread the money fairly across different regions of the country. The bill also requires these agencies to study what construction and renovation needs exist nationwide so Congress can understand how big the problem really is and whether more funding might be needed in the future.

In practical terms, this could help a small-town police station finally get a new building, allow a volunteer fire department to upgrade its aging firehouse, or enable departments to create better training facilities—projects that these cash-strapped communities often can't afford on their own.