Montgomery County FOP Lodge #104
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We Support Our Troops Land/Sea/Air
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Grand Lodge News
For the Week of 28 July 2008 In This Week’s Edition I. This Week in Congress II. Legislative News and Activity III. Update on FOP Top Legislative Priorities IV. Update on LEOSA V. FOP NEWS: Congressional Questionnaire Posted I. THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS The House and Senate were in session this week. NOTE: The House and Senate will likely return to recess over the weekend and remain out until after Labor Day. We will be reporting as necessary until they resume regular activities. Action in the House The House on Wednesday passed H.R. 6193, the “Improving Public Access to Documents Act,” sponsored by Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA). The legislation will require the Department of Homeland Security to develop policies to allow unclassified information on terrorism and other aspects of national security to flow to state and local law enforcement authorities, first responders, and the public. Action in the Senate Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV), Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, outlined a “supplemental stimulus bill,” which includes numerous new spending programs, including $490 million for the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne-JAG) for the current fiscal year. II. LEGISLATIVE NEWS AND ACTIVITY Executive Director Jim Pasco hosted a fundraiser for Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. National President Chuck Canterbury was in attendance, and the group discussed issues of importance to the FOP. Executive Director Pasco, along with National President Canterbury and the National Committee, participated in discussions regarding potential real estate possibilities in the Washington, D.C. area. Senior Legislative Liaison Tim Richardson and Legislative Liaison Jon Gentile met with Matt Johnson and Holt Lackey, counsels for Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to discuss S. 206, the “Social Security Fairness Act,” and several other legislative initiatives important to the FOP. Senior Legislative Liaison Richardson also met with Brian Schoeneman, Labor Liaison in the Office of the Secretary of Labor, to discuss several pending issues. III. UPDATE ON FOP TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES For the complete list of cosponsors for all of our top legislative priorities, or to find out if your Representative and Senators are cosponsors of specific bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov . A. SOCIAL SECURITY ISSUES: (1) Support H.R. 82/S. 206, the "Social Security Fairness Act" We currently have a total of three hundred and forty (340) cosponsors--more than seventy-five percent (75%) of the House. Please note that this total differs slightly from THOMAS, as we are not including in our count Delegates Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D-Guam), Donna M. Christensen (D-VI), Luis Fortuno (R-PR), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), who have limited voting rights on the floor. We are also not including Representatives Julia Carson (D-IN), Paul Gillmor (R-OH), Tom Lantos (D-CA), Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA), or Charlie Norwood (R-GA), all of whom have died this year. Similarly, former Representatives Bobby Jindal (R-LA) and Martin Meehan (D-MA), who resigned their seats, are also not included in our count. In January, National President Chuck Canterbury sent a letter to the Chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee, Representative Michael R. McNulty (D-NY), which can be found here: http://www.fop.net/publications/archives/letters/2008_0108.pdf The Chairman has not yet replied. We currently have thirty-six (36) cosponsors on the Senate companion bill, S. 206. The National Legislative Office has identified thirteen (13) Members from ten (10) States which had previously cosponsored this bill in the 109th Congress. A list of these Members has been forwarded to the National Legislative Committee, who will in turn distribute it to the State Legislative Contacts and leaders in the appropriate States. (2) Opposing any legislation that would require the participation of public employees in Social Security This issue was discussed in both hearings mentioned above. While no legislation has been introduced with a provision that would mandate the inclusion in Social Security of public employees currently not in the system, the FOP included in its testimony to the Subcommittee our strong opposition to such a scheme. B. Support H.R. 980/S. 2123, the "Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act" Senator Harry M. Reid (D-NV), the Majority Leader in the Senate, continues to keep our bill as a pending item for the Senate floor, and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the Minority Leader has also been active in facilitating dialogue between the proponents of H.R. 980 and Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), the Ranking Member on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). At this time, no agreement has been reached that would allow debate to resume. It is still important that our members stay in contact with their Senators on the issue--especially the cosponsors and the those who voted for cloture on 13 May! All Senate Democrats, as well as independent Senators Lieberman (ID-CT) and Sanders (I-VT) voted in favor of the cloture motion, as did the following Republicans (cosponsors of the Senate companion bill, S. 2123, are marked with an asterisk): Chambliss (GA) McConnell (KY) Coleman (MN)* Murkowski (AK)* Collins (ME)* Smith (OR)* Domenici (NM)* Snowe (ME)* Grassley (IA) Specter (PA)* Gregg (NH)* Stevens (AK)* Hagel (NE) Sununu (NH)* Hatch (UT) Thune (SD) Martinez (FL)* Voinovich (OH) All F.O.P. members should call their Senators (ESPECIALLY those listed above) at their Washington offices, or through the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, and thank them for their vote in favor of cloture and ask that they continue to work to get this bill passed on the Senate floor. When contacting your Senators, we encourage you to refer to the FOP's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document: http://www.fop.net/legislative/issues/bargain/hr980faq.pdf The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA), remain very active in working to build and maintain opposition to this bill. Administration officials have now issued two separate veto threats. National President Canterbury sent a letter to Senate leadership in which he addressed some of the arguments being made by these and other opponents to the bill, which can be found here: http://www.fop.net/publications/archives/letters/2008_0509.pdf The U.S. House of Representatives has already considered and passed H.R. 980 under a suspension of the rules on a 314-97 vote in July of last year. The result of that vote, Roll Call #633, can be viewed here: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll633.xml The Senate companion bill, S. 2123, has thirty-six (36) cosponsors. C. Support H.R. 688/S. 449, the "State and Local Law Enforcement Officers' Discipline, Accountability, and Due Process Act" We currently have sixty (60) cosponsors on H.R. 688 with the addition this week of Representatives Patrick Murphy (D-PA) and Michele Bachmann (R-MN). Please note that this total differs slightly from THOMAS, as we are not including Representative Jo Ann Davis (R-VA), who has died. We currently have six (6) cosponsors on S. 449. In addition, staff from the National Legislative Office has been discussing potential hearings on the bill after the August recess with both the House and Senate subcommittees with jurisdiction over the bill. III. UPDATE ON LEGISLATION AMENDING LEOSA We currently have eighteen (18) cosponsors on H.R. 2726, with Representative Ben Chandler (D-KY) signing on this week. The bill was the subject of a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security in early September. The testimony offered at that hearing by National Treasurer Tom Penoza can be found on the FOP website. The Senate bill, S. 376, which was favorably reported by the Committee on the Judiciary in May, has nine (9) cosponsors. The language in S. 376 and H.R. 2726 would improve certain provisions of the Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act (LEOSA), especially with respect to retired law enforcement officers. The legislation would also make clear that law enforcement officers employed by the Amtrak Police Department and the executive branch of the Federal Government who are classified as a GS-0083 meet the definition of "qualified law enforcement officer" in the LEOSA. The Senate bill would also lower the aggregate years of service needed to meet the definition of "qualified retired law enforcement officer" from fifteen (15) to ten (10) and removes confusing language related to that same definition. IV. FOP NEWS: Choosing a PresidentResponses from the McCain and Obama campaigns to the FOP questionnaire have been posted on the website. Keep in mind that the FOP endorsement for a presidential candidate is an important process with several steps, and follow-up questions have been put to the candidates for review by the Presidential Screening Committee. Please carefully review the candidates and their responses, as well as their history with regards to the agenda of the FOP.You can find it here: http://www.fop.net/servlet/display/news_article?id=871&XSL=xsl_pages%2fpublic_news_individual.xsl&nocache=18516493Model Congressional Questionnaire Posted on WebsiteA model questionnaire for use by State and local Lodges to aid them in evaluating candidates for Congress has been posted on the main page of the Grand Lodge website. The questions are drawn from issues being lobbied by the Grand Lodge on Capitol Hill. You can find it here: http://www.fop.net/legislative/congquest08.pdf It is particularly important for the State and local Lodges to endorse candidates who support our top priority items and oppose those candidates who do not. The success of the National Legislative Program depends on having an active grassroots base and on electing lawmakers who support our pro-law enforcement agenda. |
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