NAPO pledged its support for the Educational and Career Opportunities for Public Safety (EdCOPS) Act (S. 4450), which creates the Public Safety Officer Education Assistance Program under the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs. This new program largely mirrors that of the Public Safety Officer’s Benefits (PSOB) Education Assistance Program, which provides tuition assistance for up to 45 months of full or part-time education or training.

The House voted to include a NAPO-backed amendment in its version of the Fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), H.R. 8070, from Representative Michael Waltz (R-FL), which would restore state and local law enforcement’s unfettered access to surplus military equipment through the Department of Defense’s 1033 Program. The amendment was approved by a bipartisan vote of 238 – 187, with 24 Democrats supporting it – the most bipartisan this issue has been in years.

The June 7th Senate Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions and Family Policy field hearing in Columbus, Ohio was a success and highlighted the adverse effect the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) have on the retirement security of public servants. NAPO member organization, the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (OPBA), testified at the hearing. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), chairman of the Subcommittee and the sponsor of the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 597), chaired the hearing, which is the first action the Senate has taken on this important bill in recent history. The Social Security Fairness Act, S. 597, currently has 59 cosponsors – just one cosponsor away from making the bill filibuster-proof. Thank you to all our members who have submitted a statement to the Senate Finance Committee and to those who continue to organize letter drives through the submission deadline of June 21. 

The House Homeland Security Committee approved the Detection Equipment and Technology Evaluation to Counter the Threat of (DETECT) Fentanyl and Xylazine Act (H.R. 8663) on June 12. This bill would authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct research and development, testing, and evaluation on equipment that would help law enforcement better detect fentanyl and other drugs.

The COPS Office just issued their 2023 year-end report, Law Enforcement Officers Shot in the Line of Duty: 2023 Year-End Summary. According to the report, in 2023 there was a 14 percent increase in the number of officers shot and killed compared to 2022. There were 308 incidents during calendar year 2023 resulting in 378 law enforcement officers being shot in the line of duty – including 52 incidents where multiple officers were shot. Of those shot, 44 law enforcement officers died from their injuries; 138 law enforcement officers were shot in 115 separate ambushes; and at least 45 officers are known to have been saved by their bulletproof vests.

Register today for NAPO’s 46th Annual Convention July 14-17, 2024 in Nashville, TN! Participate in setting NAPO’s legislative priorities for the 119th Congress and issuing NAPO’s endorsements for the Offices of President and Vice President of the United States of America. Learn from presentations by prominent law enforcement figures about the latest developments in police policies and services and help determine NAPO’s path forward.

NAPO’s updated “Sponsor/Cosponsor” spreadsheet and the latest “Legislative Positions” document are available on the NAPO website.

For more details about these and other legislative initiatives, please click here for the June 14, 2024 Washington Report.