Posted by: jgomori Posted date: December 2, 2022

Please take the time to nominate examples of outstanding police work for NAPO’s TOP COPS Awards. The nomination form must be postmarked or faxed by Jan. 11, 2023; NAPO’s Executive Director Bill Johnson and Government Affairs Director Andy Edmiston met with the Director of the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Karhlton Moore, to discuss NAPO’s priorities and how we can continue to support each other in moving those priorities forward; In a win for NAPO, the House overwhelmingly passed the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act, S. 3846, by a vote of 389-22 on Nov. 29. NAPO is a long-time supporter of the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP), which grew out of the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act (MIOTCRA), and worked closely on this reauthorization bill. It is a top priority for us, as it supports crisis intervention teams and training programs for law enforcement and corrections personnel to identify and respond to incidents involving individuals with mental health conditions; On Nov. 29, the House took up the Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act (S. 4003), under suspension of the rules, which requires two-thirds approval of those voting and present to pass. Due to late opposition to the bill by Republicans, the vote failed to garner the two-thirds necessary to pass with the final vote being 247-160. Only 3 Democrats voted against passage and merely 40 Republicans voted for it; NAPO’s updated “Sponsor/Cosponsor” spreadsheet is available on NAPO’s website. The spreadsheet accompanies the latest “Legislative Positions” document, which is also available on the NAPO website. NAPO’s Legislative Positions is a document that highlights all the legislation that we have taken an official position on or are monitoring during the 117th Congress; Please register for NAPO’s 34th Annual Police, Fire, EMS, & Municipal Employee Pension & Benefits Seminar, Jan. 29 – 31, 2023 at Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Our goal for the 2023 Pension & Benefits Seminar is to educate pension and union representatives along with their providers on the latest issues surrounding the pension and benefits industry.

For more information on these and other legislative issues, please click on the Dec. 2, 2022 Washington Report.