The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a bill to combat illicit Xylazine. NAPO sent a letter of support for the legislation to the Committee on March 16 and the bill was advanced to the full Senate on March 19. Xylazine, a drug that is meant for sedation and anesthesia in horses and cows, is now found in more than a third of all fentanyl powder tested by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

NAPO’s Annual Lobby Day & Legislative Luncheon is May 14th on Capitol Hill. Register before the May 1 deadline to lobby Congressional Representatives, Senators, and their staffs, on behalf of your members concerning the issues which affect law enforcement officers and their families, their safety, working conditions, and retirement.

NAPO is pushing a list of bills to move during National Police Week, beginning with a meeting with the staff of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA). The legislation discussed would increase penalties for the murder, attempted murder, or assault of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers. NAPO-backed legislation includes: the LEOSA Reform Act, which expands the areas qualified, current or retired, officers are allowed to carry a firearm; and the Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program Expansion Act would make vital changes to the PSOB Program to increase transparency and accountability and ensure the Program honors and supports officers and their families. Other priorities are: The Reauthorizing Support and Treatment for Officers in Crisis (STOIC) Act, the Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act, and the Strong Communities Act. On March 13, the Department of Justice endorsed the NAPO-backed Thin Blue Line Act, which would make the murder or attempted murder of a local police officer, firefighter, or first responder an aggravating factor in death penalty determinations in federal court. NAPO also supports the Protect and Serve Act and the Back the Blue Act, both of which would bring federal resources to bear in prosecuting those who attempt to harm or murder any public safety officer. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been shut down for nearly five weeks as Democrats in Congress and the Administration continue to trade proposals over reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Administration has stated it is willing to agree to legislation that would:

• Expand the use of body-worn cameras by ICE agents, except for undercover officers, and require retention of body-camera footage.
• Limit civil immigration enforcement at "sensitive" locations, like hospitals and schools, with a “narrow carve-out for immediate needs like national security… and public safety.”
• Require agents to wear clearly visible identification and state their name and agency when asked during their duties, except for undercover officers.
• Adhere to "existing law and practice” of not deporting or detaining U.S. citizens except when they violate a state or federal law that makes them subject to arrest.

While these reforms address many of the Democrats’ demands, they continue to request immigration agents remove their masks and obtain judicial warrants to enter private property. On March 18, during Senator Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) confirmation hearing to be the next Secretary of Homeland Security, he promised to require agents to obtain judicial warrants to enter people’s homes or businesses, unless officers are actively pursuing someone who enters that location.

Applications for the FY25 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program are being accepted until 11:59 p.m. EST on April 7, 2026 for submission to Grants.Gov and 5 p.m. EST on April 14 for submission to JustGrants. This grant program funds state and local law enforcement, including multi-jurisdictional drug and gang task forces, information sharing and technology, county jails, prosecutors, and drug courts. FY 25 JAG local allocations are available at Allocations | JAG | Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Click here for more details on these and other legislative issues in the March 20, 2026 Washington Report.