NAPO submitted comments supporting a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposal permitting state and local correctional facilities to use jamming technology to block contraband cell phones. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr supports the proposal, scheduled for a Commission vote on Nov. 19, 2026. This is an officer safety issue as inmates have used contraband phones to organize attacks on correctional officers and their families and inmate violence, strikes, disturbances, and riots. They are also used to coordinate deliveries of illegal drugs and weapons.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) announced its final rule Improving Transparency into Pharmacy Benefit Manager Fee Disclosure on Oct. 29. This victory for NAPO supports President Trump’s Executive Orders “Making America Healthy Again by Empowering Patients with Clear, Accurate, and Actionable Healthcare Pricing Information” and “Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First.” In April, NAPO submitted written comments and the final rule reflects NAPO’s feedback on providing group health plan fiduciaries greater insight into the direct and indirect compensation PBMs receive.
Congress faces a packed agenda when lawmakers return from recess Nov. 9, with about five legislative weeks before the year runs out. Two must-pass measures are: fiscal year 2027 appropriations and the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Other issues that may be addressed in the lame-duck session are federal permitting reform, surface transportation reauthorization, and reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) has pledged to force a House vote in the first week back on his resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Judicial nominations will compete for Senate floor time.
NAPO is meeting with congressional staff about bills with the strongest prospects for passage during the lame-duck session, such as the Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Act, which NAPO worked to include in the NDAA. The legislation would direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to develop treatment programs for police, fire, emergency medical and 911 personnel with PTSD or acute stress disorders.
Other NAPO priorities include the Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Expansion Act, the Monitor Accountability Act, and FirstNet Reauthorization. NAPO is building bipartisan support for the Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro PSOB Program Expansion Act, to bring it to the House floor under suspension of the rules. On Aug. 7, the Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent. This legislation would address problems with the way death, disability, and educational assistance claims are handled. NAPO continues to urge the Senate to take up the House-passed bipartisan Monitor Accountability Act, which would restore accountability and balance to the monitoring process by requiring clear parameters, reasonable costs, and a defined path toward completion for monitorships.
Registration is open for NAPO’s 39th Annual Police, Fire, EMS, & Municipal Employee Pension & Benefits Seminar, which will be held Feb. 7 – 9, 2027 at Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
NAPO is seeking nominations for its 34th Annual TOP COPS Awards, with the TOP COPS Award Dinner set for May 14, 2027 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., during National Police Week. TOP COPS are nominated by fellow officers. An independent awards committee selects 10 cases. Officers included in those cases are flown to Washington, D.C. and recognized at the ceremony. Click here for the nomination form, which must be submitted before Jan. 8, 2027.
For full details about these issues, click here for the Oct. 30, 2026 Washington Report.
