|
We Support Our Troops Land/Sea/Air
Ohio's Fallen Officers
POW/MIA
Virtual Wall
| |
Grand Lodge FOP News
Washington Watch: Legislative Update
For the Week of 8 February 2010
I. Legislative News and Activity
II. This Week in Congress
III. Update on FOP Top Legislative Priorities
IV. Update on LEOSA
V. DAY ON THE HILL 2010!
I. LEGISLATIVE NEWS AND ACTIVITY
National President Chuck Canterbury and Executive Director Jim Pasco met
with Kevin O�Connor, Assistant to the General President for Governmental Affairs
for the International Association of Fire Fighters, and business representatives
to discuss potential business opportunities for the FOP to consider.
Executive Director Pasco met with Bruce Cohen, Majority Chief Counsel for the
U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, concerning the adverse consequences
caused by amendments introduced by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) for S. 1132, the
�Law Enforcement Officers' Safety Act Improvements Act.�
Senior Legislative Liaison Tim Richardson had several conversations with
Judiciary Committee staff regarding S. 1132.
II. THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS
While most Federal agencies in the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan
area were closed Monday through Thursday because severe weather, both the House
and the Senate were in session this week, though the House held no votes. The
National Legislative Office was also closed because of weather during this
time.
Both the House and Senate will be in recess next week in observance of
President's Day.
Action in the Senate
The Senate considered several pending nominations to posts in the
executive branch.
Action in Senate Committees
The Committee on the Judiciary placed two bills of interest to the FOP
on its agenda for this week and due to the bad weather held them over for action
next week: S. 1132 and S. 1789, the "Fair Sentencing Act." The former bill is
one of the top priorities of the FOP (See Item IV. for additional details)
and the latter, which would lower sentences for crack cocaine offenders, is a
bill that the FOP opposes. We expect a substitute amendment to be offered to S.
1789, the FOP has reviewed some language but have not offered support to any
compromise draft.
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, check out
http://thomas.loc.gov .
A. Social Security Issues
(1) Support H.R. 235/S. 484, the "Social Security Fairness Act"
We currently have three hundred and eight (308) cosponsors on H.R.
235--more than a House majority! Please note that this total differs slightly
from THOMAS, as we are not including in our count former Representatives John M.
McHugh (R-NY) and Ellen O. Tauscher (D-CA), who resigned to take positions in
the Administration, or Representative John P. Murtha, Jr. (D-PA), who died
earlier this week. Similarly, we do not include Delegates Madeleine Z. Bordallo
(D-Guam), Pedro R. Pierluisi (D-Puerto Rico) and Gregorio Sablan (D-MP), who
have limited voting rights on the floor.
We currently have twenty-nine (29) cosponsors on S. 484. Please note that this
total differs slightly from THOMAS, as we are not including in our count Senator
Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), who died last year.
(2) Opposing any legislation that would require the participation of
public employees in Social Security
The FOP will continue to lobby against this scheme and oppose any
legislation which would mandate participation in Social Security.
B. Support H.R. 413/S. 1611, the "Public Safety Employer-Employee
Cooperation Act"
We currently have one hundred and eighty-six (186) cosponsors on H.R.
413 and need only thirty (30) additional cosponsors to reach a House majority!
Please note that this total differs slightly from THOMAS, as we are not
including in our count Representatives John M. McHugh (R-NY), who resigned his
seat last year to take a position with the Administration, or John P. Murtha
(D-PA), who died earlier this week.
We currently have eight (8) cosponsors on S. 1611. Please note that this total
differs slightly from THOMAS, as we are not including in our count Senators
Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), who died last year, or Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL),
who resigned his seat last year.
C. Support H.R. 1972, the "Law Enforcement Officer�s Procedural Bill of
Rights Act"
We currently have three (3) cosponsors on H.R. 1972.
The Senate companion bill has not yet been introduced.
IV. UPDATE ON LEGISLATION AMENDING LEOSA
Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), sponsor of S. 1132 and Chairman of the
Committee on the Judiciary, has informed the FOP that he will try to move the
bill at the Committee's next Executive Session on Thursday, 25 February.
Chairman Leahy and the Ranking Member, Senator Jefferson B. Sessions III (R-AL)
will offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute which will make a few
"tweaks" to the existing bill, including a provision clarifying the status of
the Federal Reserve Police.
At this time, only Senator TThomas A. Coburn. MD (R-OK) has offered amendments
to the bill. Neither amendment is related in any way to the greater issue of
public safety and both seemed designed specifically to shatter the broad
bipartisan support the FOP has put together. In conversations with Senator
Coburn's staff, we have asked him to withdraw the amendments and support the
"clean" substitute amendment. We urge all FOP members from Oklahoma to contact
Senator Coburn's office and urge him to withdraw his amendments.
We have three (3) cosponsors on S. 1132.
We currently have nine (8) cosponsors on H.R. 3752. Please note that this total
differs slightly from THOMAS, as we are not including in our count
Representative John P. Murtha (D-PA), who died earlier this week. The bill is
similar in most respects to the Senate companion bill, S. 1132. The House bill
includes language that would also clarify the status of retired military
personnel that served as law enforcement officers in their respective branch of
service. We will continue to work with Rep. Forbes' office to get this bill
moved through the subcommittee.
V. Day on the Hill 2010: Cancelled
The FOP Day on the Hill 2010 was to begin on Monday,
8 February, but in the interest of the safety of our members and IN VIEW OF the
paralytic effects of the blizzard effect travel to, from, and in the greater
Washington, D.C. area, National President Chuck Canterbury cancelled the event.
National President Canterbury will work with the National Legislative Office to
reschedule the event. However, the logistics of rescheduling this event make it
unlikely that we will be able to do so.
|
