The House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee are committed to finalizing a broad retirement package before the end of the year and with Congress on recess until Nov. 14, staff is diligently working through the differences between the House’s Securing a Strong Retirement Act and the Senate’s Enhancing American Retirement Now (EARN) Act. Three of NAPO’s priority retirement provisions were included as part of the EARN Act: Putting First Responders First Act, Police and Fire Health Care Protection Act, and Protecting Public Safety Employees’ Timely Retirement Act. The Putting First Responders First Act was also included in the Securing a Strong Retirement Act. As these provisions were all incorporated in the Senate bill, NAPO met with Ways and Means Committee staff urging them to support the inclusion of these first responder related provisions in the final negotiated retirement package; During the Congressional October recess, NAPO is meeting with the staff of members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Corrections Act (H.R. 4965), to garner strong support for the bill. This bill would provide additional funding to the 9/11 World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), which will face a budget shortfall starting in 2025, causing the program to have to limit spending and reduce services for new enrollees as soon as next year; The Senate has begun the process for consideration of the Fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) so, after their recess, they can jump right into debating the bill. Over 900 amendments were submitted for consideration and as the NDAA is one of the few must-pass bills that Congress will take up before adjourning for the year; NAPO is working with Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to push the Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act (S. 4003/H.R. 8637) across the finish line before the year ends. The bill, which would provide training curricula and funding to state and local law enforcement for training on alternatives to use of force, de-escalation, and responding to mental and behavioral health and suicidal crises, passed the Senate by unanimous consent Aug. 1; Nominate an officer today for NAPO’s 30th Annual TOP COP Awards. The nominations deadline is Jan. 11, 2023; and it’s the last chance to register for NAPO’s 2022 Fall Seminar beginning Oct. 3 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, which will focus on the mid-term national elections, and what the outcome means for control of the Congress and NAPO’s legislative priorities.

For more details on these and other legislative issues impacting law enforcement, please click on the Oct. 14, 2022 Washington Report below.