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LEGISLATION WE SUPPORT

Below are some of the current issues the National Legislative Office is lobbying for:
  • PASSED!! H.R. 10 (Portman, R-OH), the "Comprehensive Retirement Security and Reform Act," which expands coverage and increases the portability of public pension and retirement plans, was incorporated into H.R. 1836 (now PL 107-16), the "Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act";
  • H.R. 21 (Barr, R-GA) amends the "Lautenberg Law" to make prospective the firearms disability imposed on those persons convicted of certain misdemeanor offenses;
  • H.R. 94 (Green, D-TX), the "Law Enforcement Officers Flag Memorial Act," would provide the families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty with a flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol;
  • H.R. 196 (Sweeney, R-NY), the "Anti-Drug Legalization Act," will prohibit Federally sponsored research pertaining to the legalization of drugs;
  • H.R. 199 (Sweeney, R-NY), the "Law Enforcement Officers' Privacy Protection Act," would provide for the confidentiality of a personnel record or personal information of a law enforcement officer;
  • H.R. 201 (Sweeney, R-NY), the "Correctional Officer Protection Act," would reduce Federal funding to States which fail to enact legislation requiring the death penalty for persons convicted of killing a correctional officer;
  • H.R. 213 (Sweeney, R-NY), the "Drug Importer Death Penalty Act," provides the death penalty for persons convicted of importing very large quantities of certain controlled substances;
  • H.R. 218 (Cunningham, R-CA), the "Community Protection Act of 1999," would exempt qualified active and retired law enforcement officers from State and local prohibitions on the carrying of concealed firearms;
  • H.R. 259 (Cunningham, R-CA), "Matthew's Law," would provide enhanced penalties for crimes of violence against children less than thirteen years of age by directing the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend the Federal sentencing guidelines, increasing the offense level by at least five (5);
  • H.R. 417 (Andrews, D-NJ), the "Open Air Drug Market Penalty Act," would amend the Controlled Substances Act to provide an additional five years imprisonment for knowingly committing a Federal drug offense within 500 feet of the place where any similar offense was committed in the preceding 48 hours;
  • H.R. 664 (Jefferson, D-LA) would address the "Government Pension Offset" provision in the Social Security Act and amend the level of the reductions in Social Security benefits which are required in the case of spouses and surviving spouses who are also receiving certain government pensions;
  • H.R. 674 (LaFalce, D-NY), the "American Homeownership and Economic Opportunity Act," would allow local communities greater flexibility in designing homeownership programs for law enforcement officers and other municipal employees through existing CDBG and HOME programs, authorizes one percent (1%) downpayments for Federal Housing Authority (FHA) insured home loan mortgages for law enforcement officers and other public safety officers, and also builds on the success of the "Officer Next Door" program by providing a no downpayment incentive for law enforcement officers buying homes in troubled neighborhoods;
  • H.R. 709 (Stupak, D-MI), the "Law Enforcement Officers' Health Act," would withhold ten percent of Federal monies awarded under the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant (LLEBG) program from those public safety agencies who do not establish a legal presumption that heart, lung and respiratory diseases are occupational diseases for public safety officers;
  • H.R. 710 (Sununu, R-NH), the "Survivor Benefits Tax Fairness Act," would extend to survivors of public safety officers killed in the line of duty before December 31, 1996, the same tax benefits available to the survivors of such officers killed after such date;
  • PASSED!! H.R. 802/PL 107-12 (Smith, R-TX), the "Public Safety Medal of Valor Act," would establish a medal awarded by the President in the name of Congress to a public safety officer for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty;
  • H.R. 848 (Sandlin, D-TX), the "Social Security Benefits Restoration Act," would remove the "Windfall Elimination Provision" from the Social Security Act;
  • H.R. 1007 (Stupak, D-MI), the "James Guelff and Chris McCurley Body Armor Act of 1999," would enhance the penalties for persons convicted of a violent offense while wearing body armor, prohibit the use and possession of body armor by convicted violent felons and initiate a program whereby Federal surplus body armor can be donated to State and local departments;
  • H.R. 1212 (Barr, R-GA), the "Law Enforcement Officers Due Process Act," would provide grants to law enforcement agencies that ensure that their officers are afforded due process when involved in a case that may lead to dismissal, demotion, suspension, or transfer;
  • H.R. 1348 (Hutchinson, R-AR), the "Rural Law Enforcement Assistance Act," would authorize the establishment of a National Center for Rural Law Enforcement to assist rural departments with training and other concerns unique to rural areas;
  • H.R. 1475 (Kildee, D-MI), the "Public Employer-Employee Cooperation Act," would recognize the right of law enforcement and other public safety officers to bargain collectively with their employers;
  • H.R. 1535 (Wolf, R-VA), the "Federal Inmate Work Act," will increase the opportunities for inmates to gain meaningful employement through the Federal Prison Industries of the Bureau of Prisons, while ensuring the continued success of the program, creating a safer environment for correctional officers, reducing the rate of recidivism, enhancing public safety, and providing restitution to the victims of crime;
  • H.R. 1626 (Ramstad, R-MN), the "Law Enforcement Officers' Discipline, Accountability and Due Process Act," would protect the due process rights of officers during internal investigations;
  • PASSED!! H.R. 1727/PL 107-15 (Ramstad, R-MN), the "Fallen Hero Survivor Benefit Fairness Act," extends to survivors of public safety officers killed in the line of duty before December 31, 1996, the same tax benefits available to the survivors of such officers killed after such date (the exclusion from gross income of any survivor annuity received on account of the death of a public safety officer killed in the line of duty);
  • H.R. 1747 (Kelly, R-NY) would amend 18 USC to prohibit taking a child hostage in order to evade arrest;
  • H.R. 1764 (Strickland, D-OH), the "Public Safety Act," would ensure that the incarceration of inmates is not provided by private contractors or vendors and that persons charged or convicted of an offense against the U.S. shall be housed in facilities managed and maintained by Federal, State or local governments;
  • H.R. 1841 (Filner, D-CA), the "Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act," would amend the definition of law enforcement officer under Title 5, USC, to include Federal police officers and others under the "6(c)" retirement provisions of Chapters 83 and 84;
  • H.R. 1887 (Morella, R-MD), the "Federal Law Enforcement Pension Adjustment Equity Act," would permit annuitants of the U.S. Park Police and U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division to receive adjustments in pension benefits to which they would otherwise be entitled as a result of the transfer of active officers to a new pay scale;
  • H.R. 2009 (Weiner, D-NY), the "PROTECTION Act," would reauthorize the successful COPS program through 2007 to hire and retain police officers, pay overtime and reimburse officers pursuing college and advanced degrees to enhance their job skills as well as providing Federal money for new technology;
  • H.R. 2199/PL 107-xx (Norton, D-DC), the "District of Columbia Police Coordination Amendment Act," would amend current law to enhance the ability of cooperation between Federal and local law enforcement in the District of Columbia;
  • H.R. 2304 (Maloney, D-NY), the "Federal Reserve Labor-Management Relations Accountability Act" would include the Federal Reserve Banks and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve under the provisions of the Federal Labor Relations Act (FLRA);
  • H.R. 2638 (McKeon, R-CA), the "Social Security Fairness Act," would repeal both the "Windfall Elimination Provision" and the "Government Pension Offset" in current Social Security Law;
  • PASSED!! H.R. 2882/PL 107-37 (Nadler, D-NY), authorizes an expedited payment of death or permanent disability benefits to qualified beneficiaries of public safety officers who were killed or who suffered a catastrophic injury in the line of duty in connection with the rescue or recovery efforts related to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001;
  • H.R. 3150 (Young, R-AL), the "Secure Transportation for America Act," would establish the Transportation Security Administration, to be headed by an Under Secretary of Transportation for Security responsible for security in all modes of transportation, including civil aviation, and would assign to the Under Secretary responsibility for the screening of passengers and property on passenger aircraft in air transportation that originates in the United States and provide for the deployment of Federal air marshals on selected passenger flights;
  • H.R. 3191 (Roukema, R-NJ), the "Home Ownership Opportunities for Public Safety Officers and Teachers Act," would amend the National Housing Act to provide for a one percent (1%) downpayment (and deferral and reduction of up-front payments) for Federal Housing Administration mortgage loans for qualified elementary and secondary school teachers and administrators and non-Federal public safety officers to purchase homes within the jurisdictions of their employing agencies, a fifty percent (50%) discount for teachers and public safety officers purchasing certain properties, and directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to carry out a mortgage assistance pilot program to assist Federal, State, and local public safety officers in purchasing primary residences in high-crime areas;
  • PASSED!! H.R. 3162/PL 107-56 (Sensenbrenner, R-WI), the "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act," provides law enforcement many of the tools necessary to fight the ongoing threat of terrorism, including new tools to combat money laundering, cybercrime and cyberterrorism as well as funding for these efforts;
  • H.J. Res. 36 (Cunningham, R-CA), would amend the Constitution to give Congress the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States;
  • S. 33 (Thurmond, R-SC) excludes prisoners from the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act;
  • S. 34 (Thurmond, R-SC) amends the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure by changing the verdict requirement from unanimous to five-sixths (10 jury members);
  • S. 39 (Stevens, R-AK), the "Public Safety Medal of Valor Act," would establish a medal awarded by the President in the name of Congress to a public safety officer for extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty;
  • S. 166 (Feinstein, D-CA), the "James Guelff and Chris McCurley Body Armor Act of 1999," would enhance the penalties for persons convicted of a violent offense while wearing body armor, prohibit the use and possession of body armor by convicted violent felons and initiate a program whereby Federal surplus body armor can be donated to State and local departments;
  • S. 304 (Hatch, R-UT), the "Drug Abuse Education, Prevention and Treatment Act," would increase penalties for traffickers who employ minors, sell to minors or near schools and provides grants to eliminate drugs from prisons, prevention programs for youth, juvenile drug treatment programs, and prosecutor-developed treatment alternatives to prison sentences for eligible nonviolent drug offenders;
  • S. 349 (Hutchinson, R-AR), the "Rural Law Enforcement Assistance Act," would authorize the establishment of a National Center for Rural Law Enforcement to assist rural departments with training and other concerns unique to rural areas;
  • S. 417 (Schumer, D-NY), the "American Homeownership and Economic Opportunity Act," would allow local communities greater flexibility in designing homeownership programs for law enforcement officers and other municipal employees through existing CDBG and HOME programs, authorizes one percent (1%) downpayments for Federal Housing Authority (FHA) insured home loan mortgages for law enforcement officers and other public safety officers, and also builds on the success of the "Officer Next Door" program by providing a no downpayment incentive for law enforcement officers buying homes in troubled neighborhoods;
  • S. 440 (Campbell, R-CO), the "Officer Dale Claxton Bullet Resistant Police Protective Equipment Act," would provide grants to State and local law enforcement agencies to purchase bullet resistant equipment;
  • S. 441 (Campbell, R-CO), the "Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters Flag Memorial Act," would provide the families of law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty with a flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol;
  • S. 443 (Campbell, R-CO) would amend the Federal criminal code to increase from ten to fifteen years the maximum term of imprisonment for offenses involving the transportation, transfer, or use of stolen firearms;
  • S. 490 (Edwards, D-NC), the "Law Enforcement Officers Due Process Act," would provide grants to law enforcement agencies that ensure that their officers are afforded due process when involved in a case that may lead to dismissal, demotion, suspension, or transfer;
  • S. 611 (Mikulski, D-MD), the "Government Pension Offset Reform Act," would address the "Government Pension Offset" provision in the Social Security Act and amend the level of reductions in Social Security benefits which are required in the case of spouses and surviving spouses who are also receiving certain government pensions;
  • S. 742 (Grassley, R-IA), the "Retirement Security and Savings Act," would expand coverage and increase the portability of public pension and retirement plans;
  • S. 840 (Biden, D-DE), the "Law Enforcement Officers' Discipline, Accountability and Due Process Act," would protect the due process rights of officers during internal investigations;
  • S. 842 (Feingold, D-WI), the "Public Safety Act," would require any recipient of a grant under the violent offender incarceration and truth-in-sentencing incentive grant program to assure the Attorney General that no funds will be used to pay a private contractor or vendor to provide core services related to the incarceration of an inmate and amends the Federal criminal code to require the Bureau of Prisons to provide that any penal or correctional facility or institution confining any person convicted of offenses against the United States shall be under the direction of the Director of the Bureau and shall be managed and maintained by Federal, State, or local government employees;
  • S. 899 (Biden, D-DE), the "Frances Collender and Michael J. Dunman Public Safety Officers' Benefits Improvement Act," would increase the amount paid to families of public safety officers killed in the line duty under the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program;
  • S. 924 (Biden, D-DE), the "PROTECTION Act," would reauthorize the successful COPS program through 2007 to hire and retain police officers, pay overtime and reimburse officers pursuing college and advanced degrees to enhance their job skills as well as providing Federal money for new technology;
  • S. 952 (Gregg, R-NH), the "Public Employer-Employee Cooperation Act," would recognize the right of law enforcement and other public safety officers to bargain collectively with their employers;
  • S. 1228 (Thurmond, R-SC), the "Federal Inmate Work Act," would provide for the reform of Federal Prison Industries (FPI) and allow for the phased elimination of mandatory source purchase requirements;
  • S. 1351 (Thurmond, R-SC), the "Fugitive Apprehension Act," would authorize administrative subpoena authority for the U.S. Marshals Service in fugitive investigations;
  • PASSED!! S. 1447/PL 107-71 (Holling, D-SC), the "Aviation and Transportation Security Act," amends Federal transportation law to establish a Deputy Secretary for Transportation Security who shall be responsible for security for all modes of transportation, makes the Attorney General responsible for Federal security screening operations for passenger air transportation and property, expands the Federal Air Marshal program, authorizes the Secretary of Transportation, with the agreement of the Attorney General or head of a Federal law enforcement agency, to order the deployment of Federal law enforcement personnel at secure areas of an airport to counter the risk of criminal violence, the risk of aircraft piracy and to air carrier aircraft operations at such airport, or to meet national security concerns, directs the Secretary to carry out a program to permit qualified law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians to provide emergency services on commercial air flights during emergencies and protects from liability any such individual providing or attempting to provide assistance in the case of an inflight emergency in an aircraft, if the individual meets certain qualifications to be established;
  • S. 1484 (McConnell, R-KY), the "Crimes Against Charitable Americans Act," would amend Federal criminal law to make it a crime to knowingly and fraudulently solicit charitable contributions and change the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act to make fraudulent charitable solicitations subject to the Federal Trade Commission's rules concerning deceptive or abusive telemarketing practices;
  • S. 1653 (Schumer, D-NY), the "September 11 Surviving Spouse Student Loan Relief Act," would direct the Secretary of Education to cancel the Federal student loan indebtedness of spouses of individuals who died or who became permanently and totally disabled from injuries suffered in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001;
  • S.J.Res. 7 (Hatch, R-UT), would amend the Constitution to give Congress the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States;
  • Legislation which will provide a Federal death penalty for criminals convicted of murdering a local or State police officer;
  • Legislation which will enable Federal law enforcement officers, who retire earlier than other Federal civil servants, to begin collecting from their 401(k) pension plans upon retirement, instead of at the age of 59 ½;
  • Legislation entitled the "Veterans' Affairs Police Reform Act," to include VA Police as law enforcement officers eligible under CSRS, to grant VA officers the authority to carry firearms on duty, to create an Undersecretary for VA Police, and to make eligible VA Police for survivor's death benefit/annuity options;
  • Legislation which will provide continued funding for Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) projects;
  • Legislation to provide Federal law enforcement officers with a rebuttable presumption that a causal connection exists between their occupation and heart, lung, and hypertension disorders;
  • Legislation which would protect the personal information of law enforcement officers and their families from public access;
  • Legislation to exempt retired law enforcement officers from all Federal, State, and local taxes on their retirement income, regardless of their place of residence;
  • Legislation entitled the "Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act" to address the concerns of the more than 70,000 Federal uniformed law enforcement officers.
This is just some of the legislation that the F.O.P. is pursuing in the 107th Congress. If you have further questions, or need information about a specific piece of legislation or about the position of the F.O.P. on a bill or issue not listed here, please feel free to contact the National Legislative Office at 202.547.8189 or via e-mail.


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