Senate Judiciary Committee passes National Blue Alert Act
On March 26, the Senate Judiciary Committee
passed the Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Grant
Program Reauthorization Act and the Rafael Ramos
and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act on a voice
vote. NAPO has expended all available efforts to
garner support for these critical pieces of legislation,
which led to both bills being reported out of Committee.
The BVP Grant Program Reauthorization Act reauthorizes the
highly successful BVP Grant Program and ensures that all of America’s law enforcement officers are provided with life-saving protection. This program has issued more than one million lifesaving vests
to 13,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the
country since it was established in 1999.
The Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act will
assist with the establishment of a nationwide Blue Alert system to
apprehend violent criminals who have injured or killed police officers, or made an imminent threat to cause serious injury or death
of a law enforcement officer. Implementing a nationwide Blue Alert
system will help to ensure that information on credible threats is
widely disseminated, so officers have advanced warning and can
apprehend the criminal.
Slain Officer Family Support Act of 2015 passed by
House & Senate
The Slain Officer Family Support Act of 2015, sponsored by New
York Congressmen Hakeem Jeffries (D) and Peter King (R), was
passed by the House and Senate. This legislation
extends the tax deadline so individuals making charitable donations for the families of assassinated NYPD
Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos can apply
such tax deductions to their 2014 tax return.
NAPO Executive Director meets with Department of
Justice leaders
On March 26, NAPO Executive Director Bill Johnson met at the
Department of Justice with Denise O’Donnell, director of the Bureau
of Justice Assistance; Hope Janke, director of the Public Safety Officers’
Benefits (PSOB) Office and Michael Daugherty, legal counsel for the
PSOB Office.
They discussed the current backload of PSOB claims; 9/11 victim
claims; body armor and seatbelt requirements and how they affect
PSOB benefits; Hometown Heroes cases (heart attack and stroke) and
cases where the deceased officer was speeding. Johnson emphasized
that the goal has to be the provision of legal benefits to the surviving
family members. Reviewing said issues when the officer is deceased
does not improve his or her chances of acting differently next time,
and withholding benefits to survivors would be a cruel blow to the
deceased’s family.
Johnson urged the PSOB Office to take up the recommendations of
the President’s Task Force on Policing in the 21st Century, specifically
that use or non-use of seatbelts should not be an issue in the award of
benefits to survivors, and that mental health claims including PTSD
and suicide caused by the misery, violence and dangers of the job
should be recognized by the PSOB Office.
NAPO submits congressional statement for the record
regarding unmanned aerial systems
On March 26, NAPO submitted a statement in response to the hearing of the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
titled: “Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS): Key Considerations
Regarding Safety, Innovation, Economic Impact, and Privacy.”
NAPO used the statement to urge the Subcommittee’s Chair, Senator
Kelly Ayotte (R-New Hampshire) and members of the Subcommittee
to consider the fact that law enforcement has increased its use of UAS
to fight crime. NAPO emphasized that it is critical that officers are able
to effectively use these new tools to assist efforts to keep our communities safe. NAPO strongly feels that law enforcement should be exempt
from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations regarding UAS,
or the FAA should recognize law enforcement exigent circumstances
as an exception to normal FAA regulations and requirements.
9/11 Health Amendment and PSOB Amendment
included in Senate budget resolution
On March 27, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) and Kelly
Ayotte (R-New Hampshire) announced the passage of an amendment
to the Senate budget resolution that facilitates future legislation to
renew and extend the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation
Reauthorization Act, which expires later this year.
The Gillibrand-Ayotte amendment would create a “deficit-neutral
reserve fund” to allow Congress to consider future legislation that continues to provide medical treatment and compensation for first
responders and survivors of the 9/11 attacks, as long as that legislation
does not increase the federal deficit. d
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APRIL 2015