Maryland FOP Lodge 6F

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Information on the Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act (LEOSA)
 

        
Top Legislative Priorities for the 111th Congress
I. Social Security Issues
II. Support H.R. 413, the "Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act"

The FOP strongly supports this legislation, which would guarantee the right of public employees to bargain collectively with their employers over hours, wages and conditions of employment. The bill mandates that each State pass laws providing minimum collective bargaining rights to their public safety employees and outlines certain provisions to be included in those laws. Strikes and lockouts are prohibited by the bill and States with collective bargaining laws already on the books will be exempt from the Federal statute.

III. Support H.R. 1972, the "Law Enforcement Officer's Procedural Bill of Rights Act"

The FOP strongly supports a "bill of rights" for law enforcement officers who are, in a number of jurisdictions, denied their due process rights by police administrators and management in noncriminal proceedings. There is a need for a minimum level of procedural protections for law enforcement officers accused of administrative wrongdoing because of the gravity of potential harm to officers created by this lack of uniform safeguards.




Legislation Opposed by the National Fraternal Order of Police
  • H.R. 59 (Jackson-Lee, D-TX), the "Ex-Offender Voting Rights Act," would allow convicted felons to vote in Federal elections if these felons are denied the ability to vote by the State in which they reside;
  • H.R. 68 (Jackson-Lee, D-TX), the "No More Tulias: Drug Law Enforcement Evidentiary Standards Improvement Act," which would significantly limit States who fund anti-drug task forces from receiving Federal funding from the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grants program;
  • H.R. 73 (Jackson-Lee, D-TX), the "Traffic Stops Along the Border Statistics Study Act," would require the U.S. Attorney General to collect race and other data on traffic stops made by State and local law enforcement officers;
  • H.R. 1409 (Miller, D-CA), the "Employee Free Choice Act," which would replace the current democratic process of secret ballots in the selection or certification on a union as the bargaining units with a "card check" system;
  • H.R. 3251 (Gingrey, R-GA), legislation that would would repeal certain provisions of Title 5, United States Code, that allow Federal employees, including law enforcement officers, who represent their colleagues, to negotiate collective bargaining agreements on official time;
  • H.R. 3335 (Conyers, D-MI), the "Democracy Restoration Act," would allow convicted felons to vote in Federal elections if these felons are denied the ability to vote by the State in which they reside;
  • S. 560 (Kennedy, D-MA), the "Employee Free Choice Act," which would replace the current democratic process of secret ballots in the selection or certification on a union as the bargaining units with a "card check" system;
  • S. 650 (Feingold, D-WI), the "Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act," would abolish the death penalty option for all Federal crimes which currently carry that penalty;
  • TOP PRIORITYLegislation which would mandate participation in Social Security for all newly hired State and local employees;
  • Legislation which would weaken the overtime protections for law enforcement officers in current Federal regulations;
  • Legislation or amendments that would have the effect of weakening P.L. 106-185, the "Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000";
  • Legislation which would create or fund "civilian review boards" of law enforcement at any level of government;
  • Legislation which would normalize relations with Cuba until that nation ceases to be a safe harbor for cop-killers and other fugitives; and

For more information, please feel free to contact the National Legislative Office at (202) 547-8189 or via e-mail.

 

Legislation Supported by the National Fraternal Order of Police
  • PASSED!!! H.R. 1/PL 111-5 (Obey, D-WI), the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," specifically the funding for State and local law enforcement programs;
  • H.R. 18 (Bartlett, R-MD), the "Powder Crack Cocaine Penalty Equalization Act," would eliminate the disparity in sentencing between crack and powder cocaine offenses by changing the applicable amounts for powder cocaine to those currently applicable to crack cocaine;
  • TOP PRIORITY H.R. 235 (Berman, D-CA), the "Social Security Fairness Act," would repeal both the "Windfall Elimination Provision" and the "Government Pension Offset" in current Social Security law;
  • H.R. 248 (Green, D-TX), the "Law Enforcement Officers Flag Memorial Act," would provide the families of deceased law enforcement officers with a flag that has been flown over the U.S. Capitol;
  • TOP PRIORITY H.R. 413 (Kildee, D-MI), the "Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act," would recognize the right of law enforcement and other public safety officers to bargain collectively with their employers;
  • H.R. 560 (Brady, R-TX), the "Safe Prisons Communications Act," would authorize the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons or the chief executive officer of a state to petition the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to permit the installation of devices to prevent, jam, or interfere with wireless communications within the geographic boundaries of a specific prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility under his or her jurisdiction;
  • H.R. 583 (Lee, D-CA), the "Community Partners Next Door Act," would establish a housing program that would provide a fifty percent (50%) discount for teachers, teacher assistants, administrators, and public safety officers purchasing certain eligible asset properties for use as their primary residence, including a $100 downpayment on any related insured mortgage, and a higher Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan limit for such purchases in high cost areas;
  • H.R. 673 (Filner, D CA), the "Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act," would provide 6 (c) benefits to approximately 30,000 Federal law enforcement officers who currently do not have them;
  • H.R. 675 (Filner, D-CA), legislation which would grant statutory arrest authority to law enforcement officers employed by the U.S. Department of Defense;
  • H.R. 958 (Moran, D-VA), the "Federal Employee Retirement System Sick Leave Equity Act," would allow Federal employees under FERS to be credited for unused sick time;
  • H.R. 959 (Murphy, D-PA), the "Officer Danny Faulkner Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act" would provide increased Federal Pell Grants for children whose parent or guardian died as a result of performing duties of a law enforcement or other public safety officer;
  • H.R. 1006 (Stupak, D-MI), the "Secondary Metal Theft Prevention Act," would require secondary metal recycling agents to keep records of their transactions in order to deter individuals and enterprises engaged in the theft and interstate sale of stolen secondary metal;
  • PASSED!!! H.R. 1105 (Obey, D-WI), the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009, specifically, the appropriations for the U.S. Department of Justice and its State and local law enforcement assistance programs;
  • H.R. 1139 (Weiner, D-NY), the "COPS Improvement Act," would provide full funding for the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the programs it administers;
  • H.R. 1221 (Brady, R-TX), the "Public Servant Retirement Protection Act," would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and replace it with a more equitable, individualized calculation of Social Security benefits;
  • TOP PRIORITY H.R. 1972 (Stupak, D-MI), the "Law Enforcement Officers' Procedural Bill of Rights Act," would protect the due process rights of officers during internal investigations;
  • H.R. 2064 (King, R-NY), the "See Something, Say Something Act," would expand the current immunity from liability to cover all persons who report suspicious activity to authorities, not just suspicious activity which occurs on Federal property or transportation systems;
  • H.J.Res. 8 (Emerson, R-MO), would amend the Constitution to give Congress the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States;
  • S. 132 (Feinstein, D-CA), the "Gang Abatement and Prevention Act," is a comprehensive, national approach to the problem of gang violence which would establish a High Intensity Interstate Gang Activity Area (HIIGAA) program to facilitate greater cooperation between local, State and Federal law enforcement in identifying, targeting, and eliminating violent gangs in areas where gang activity is particularly prevalent and define new offenses which will enable law enforcement to fight gangs and gang-related activity more effectively;
  • S. 167 (Kohl, D-WI), the "COPS Improvement Act," would establish the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) as a distinct entity within the U.S. Department of Justice and reauthorize the law enforcement officer hiring program, as well as reauthorizes funds for technology grants and community prosecutors;
  • S. 251 (Hutchison, R-TX), the "Safe Prisons Communications Act," would authorize the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons or the chief executive officer of a state to petition the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to permit the installation of devices to prevent, jam, or interfere with wireless communications within the geographic boundaries of a specific prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility under his or her jurisdiction;
  • S. 252 (Akaka, D-HI), the "Veterans Health Care Authorization Act," specifically, Title VII, which would expand the arrest authority of the VA Police Service and increase the uniform allowance for these officers;
  • S. 256 (Feinstein, D-CA), the "Combat Methamphetamine Enhancement Act," will strengthen Federal law by improving the self-certification process for retail sales of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine;
  • S. 258 (Feinstein, D-CA), the "Saving Kids from Dangerous Drugs Act," would increase penalties on those who tailor market illegal drugs to entice children to purchase them;
  • S. 386 (Leahy, D-VT), the "Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act," which would strengthen the ability of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute fraudulent activity in connection with bailout and recovery legislation;
  • TOP PRIORITY S. 484 (Feinstein, D-CA), the "Social Security Fairness Act," would repeal both the "Windfall Elimination Provision" and the "Government Pension Offset" in current Social Security law;
  • S. 490 (Hutchison, R-TX), the "Public Servant Retirement Protection Act," would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and replace it with a more equitable, individualized calculation of Social Security benefits;
  • S. 569 (Levin, D-WI), the "Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act," would help law enforcement combat the misuse of U.S. corporations by requiring States to obtain beneficial ownership information for corporations and limited liability companies formed under State law;
  • S. 879 (Collins, R-ME), the "See Something, Say Something Act," would expand the current immunity from liability to cover all persons who report suspicious activity to authorities, not just suspicious activity which occurs on Federal property or transportation systems;
  • S. 1039 (Kerry, D-MA), the "Protect Those Who Serve Act," which would authorize up to $500 million in grants to States to provide up to eighty percent (80%) of the costs of the renovation, modernization, and construction of law enforcement facilities;
  • S. 1132 (Leahy, D-VT), the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act Improvements Act, would improve the provisions related to carriage of concealed firearms by qualified active and retired law enforcement officers;
  • S.J.Res. 2 (Vitter, R-LA), would amend the Constitution to give Congress the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States;
  • 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;

For more information, please feel free to contact the National Legislative Office at (202) 547-8189 or via e-mail.

 

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