Congress passes significant
opioid package
On Sept. 28, Congress passed the Substance Use-Dis-
order Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and
Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communi-
ties Act (H.R. 6), the negotiated final bill between the
House-passed measure and the Senate’s Opioid Crisis
Response Act (S. 2680). The SUPPORT for Patients and
Communities Act provides significant resources to help address the
significant opioid crisis that our country is facing. In a victory for
law enforcement, the measure includes several NAPO-endorsed
provisions that support state and local law enforcement’s efforts to
combat opioids in our communities.
To help combat the growing problems associated with synthetic
drugs, the act includes the Synthetic Abuse and Labeling of Toxic
Substances (SALTS) Act. By making it easier to prove that synthet-
ic drugs are intended for human consumption and thus easier to
prosecute, the SALTS Act will help law enforcement in their efforts
to get these drugs off the streets and out of stores.
The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act also includes
the Substance Abuse Prevention Act of 2018, which reauthorizes the
Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), including the High
Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program and the Drug Free
Communities (DFC) Support Program.
House passes 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor Act
In a victory for NAPO, the House passed the 9/11 Heroes Medal of
Valor Act (H.R. 3834) by voice vote on Sept. 26. This important leg-
islation would reestablish the original 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor,
which would be provided by the president to the families of those
police officers, firefighters and EMTs who have died due to their ex-
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ OCTOBER 2018
posure to toxic chemicals during the rescue and recov-
ery efforts following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In 2004, Congress established the 9/11 Heroes Med-
al of Valor to recognize the more than 400 federal, state
and local public safety officers, many of them NAPO
members, who ran into harm’s way to save others.
However, as we know too well, first responders across the coun-
try continue to die from cancers and other serious health condi-
tions related to sustained exposure to toxins found at ground zero.
This year alone, more than 50 of the brave men and women whose
names were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Me-
morial died as the result of 9/11-related health conditions. Unfortu-
nately, that number is only expected to grow.
NAPO pushed for the 9/11 Heroes Medal of Valor Act to ensure
that the heroism of the thousands of first responders who assisted
after the attacks does not go unrecognized.
National Blue Alert Advisory Group calls for
ramp-up of state-level efforts
The Blue Alert Advisory Group, of which NAPO is a member, met
on Sept. 20 to discuss the action plan and next steps to getting Blue
Alert systems in all 50 states. Currently, 19 states (including New Jer-
sey) do not have Blue Alert networks. Getting Blue Alert plans up
and running in all 50 states is a priority for NAPO, as it ensures that
the National Blue Alert Network — which we fought so hard to get
enacted as part of the Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue
Alert Act — works efficiently and effectively to protect officers from
harm. d