With the House passage of H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, on Nov. 12 by a vote of 327-75, NAPO is focusing all our efforts on the Senate to finally get this bill across the finish line. The Senate is off the week of Nov. 25 for Thanksgiving recess and returns on Dec. 2, giving us only three weeks until the Senate is scheduled to adjourn for the year on Dec. 20. Senate Democrats ran a hotline on H.R. 82 this week to see if any Senators in their party would oppose bringing the bill to the floor for a vote and the bill cleared the hotline. Whether this bill moves is almost entirely in the hands of Senate Republicans. Please join NAPO’s efforts and reach out to your Senators, whether they are a cosponsor or not.
As the House and Senate continue to finalize the details of the Fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), NAPO is calling for the inclusion of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Reauthorization Act. NAPO
secured Project Safe Neighborhoods Reauthorization Act in the Senate version of the NDAA as part of a package of amendments called the Law Enforcement and Victim Support Act. However, since the House Judiciary Committee, under Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), is opposing most of the bills included in the package, NAPO is calling on the Committee to support the inclusion of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Reauthorization Act in the FY25 NDAA.
Republicans officially won the Senate and House, giving the party full control of Congress and the Administration. The Republican majority in both chambers will be slim. Republicans currently hold a 53 to 46 lead over Democrats in the Senate with one race left to be called and a 219 to 213 lead in the House with three races still to be determined.
In addition to appropriations and confirming President Trump’s cabinet nominees, NAPO expects the first two significant orders of business in the 119th Congress to be a major package to extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts and legislation to support deporting illegal immigrants, both of which could impact state and local law enforcement. Included in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was the $10,000 cap on the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction, which negatively impacted many members who live and work in high-cost metropolitan areas. NAPO will be pushing Congress to allow the cap to sunset, which President-elect Trump stated he supported while campaigning. We will also seek inclusion of other policies promoted by President-elect Trump, such as making state and local law enforcement overtime pay tax-exempt, and making out-of-pocket costs for equipment, uniforms, and things necessary for officers to safely and effectively do their jobs tax-deductible. During consideration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, NAPO fought off a provision that would have taxed state and local public pension investment earnings.
The incoming Administration’s plan to start deporting illegal immigrants on Day 1 could significantly impact state and local law enforcement as U.S. Customs and Border Protection is seriously understaffed and under-resourced. Congress would need to act to give it the support and resources necessary to accomplish this substantial task.
On Nov. 19, the bipartisan U.S.-China Commission released a consensus report to Congress that includes amplifying the urgent need to eliminate de minimis from all e-commerce shipments. Closing the de minimis trade loophole is necessary to remove significant fentanyl trafficking routes into our nation. NAPO applauds the U.S.-China Commission recommendation to close this deadly loophole to all e-commerce shipments.
Please nominate examples of outstanding police work for NAPO’s TOP COPS Awards. The nomination form, available on NAPO's website, must be postmarked or faxed to (703) 684-0515 by Jan. 10, 2025.
Register for NAPO’s 36th Annual Police, Fire, EMS, & Municipal Employee Pension & Benefits Seminar, Feb. 2 – 4, 2025 at the Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For more details on these and other legislative issues, please click here for the Nov. 22, 2024 Washington Report.
