PAX Centurion - January / February 2014

Page 24 • PAX CENTURION • January/February 2014 617-989-BPPA (2772) The Washington Report NAPO’s Meetings on Capitol Hill with Texas Congressmen O ver the past week, NAPO met with staffers for Congressman Michael Burgess (R-TX) and Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX) (Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security) to discuss the McLelland-Hasse Line of DutyAct. Congressman Burgess is a co-sponsor of the McLelland-Hasse Line of DutyAct. This legislation would: • Create a new federal crime for the killing, attempted killing, or conspiring to kill a United States judge, federal law enforcement officer, or federally funded public safety officer. • Create a new federal crime for interstate flight to avoid prosecu- tion for killing, attempting to kill, or conspiring to kill a United States judge, federal law enforcement officer, or federally funded public safety officer. • Clarify and enhance penalties for assaulting a federal official during the discharge of his or her duties. • Expressly allow all judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials, subject to limited regulations, to carry firearms into all federal facilities, federal courts, and in jurisdictions where the carrying of such weapons is otherwise prohibited by law. NAPO supports this legislation, as NAPO believes the establish- ment of stricter penalties for harming or attempting to harm law enforcement officers will deter crime. Any persons contemplating harming an officer must know that they will face serious punish- ments. Increased penalties can make important differences in the attitude of criminals towards law enforcement officers, and ensure protection of the community. NAPO’s Executive Director traveled to Dallas in May 2013 to participate in a roundtable discussion with the sponsor of the Sen- ate’s version of this bill, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX). NAPO will continue to advocate for the passage of this legislation. In addition to the McLelland-Hasse Line of DutyAct, the following priorities were discussed with the staffers: Justice and Mental Health CollaborationAct (JMHCA) of 2013: NAPO expressed our strong support of the JMHCA, which re- authorizes the successful Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime ReductionAct and extends the life of the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) for five years. Individuals with mental illnesses are significantly over-represented in the prison and jail population. The JMHCP helps criminal justice and mental health agencies work collaboratively towards better outcomes. The JMHCA will provide training for law enforcement to identify and respond ap- propriately to individuals with mental illness. Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Grant Program Reau- thorizationAct: NAPO explained the importance of the BVP Grant Program, which provides federal funds to state and local law enforce- ment departments to assist state and local law enforcement efforts to purchase bullet resistant vests. NAPO continues to expend all avail- able efforts to garner additional cosponsors for the House and Senate versions of this bill. Officer Sean Collier Campus Police RecognitionAct: NAPO provided background on the Officer Sean Collier Campus Police RecognitionAct, which amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 by adding campus police officers to the Department of Justice’s Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program. This bill defines a “campus police officer” as a police officer who is authorized to enforce the criminal laws and is employed by an institu- tion of higher education. Both of the staffers were extremely receptive to the above propos- als, and we look forward to working with them on these legislative initiatives. NAPO also expressed strong support for the Social Security Fairness Act of 2013 during our meeting with the staffer for Con- gressman Burgess, as the Congressman is a cosponsor of the legis- lation. This bill strikes theWindfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) formulas currently used to calculate Social Security benefits. Both GPO andWEP were enacted in the 1980s because Congress was concerned that Social Security paid unintended benefits to workers who had spent most of their careers in “non-covered” jobs. However, the formulas go too far and penalize workers with split careers who contributed a great deal to Social Security, but retire under their “non-covered” pensions. By significantly scaling back and reducing Social Security benefits for law enforcement officers and their survivors, as GPO andWEP do, officers and their families are provided much less protection against financial difficulties. NAPO looks forward to working with Congress- man Burgess to pass this important piece of legislation. Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Nomination for Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division O n February 6, 2014, NAPO attended a Senate Judiciary Com- mittee meeting, where the Committee voted 10-8 to advance DeboAdegbile’s nomination to be the next Assistant Attorney Gen- eral for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice. NAPO has consistently voiced strong opposition to Mr. Adegbile’s nomination. Under Mr. Adegbile’s leadership, the Legal Defense Fund of the National Association for theAdvancement of Colored People volunteered their services to defend MumiaAbu-Jamal, a convicted cop-killer. Abu-Jamal was convicted of murdering Phila- delphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1982. Mr. Adegbile worked tirelessly to free this unrepentant cop-killer. The nominee’s efforts led to the overturning of the just sentenceAbu-Jamal received for mur- dering a valuable member of the law enforcement community. We urge our members to write to your Senators to express opposi- tion to the nominee. For your reference, NAPO’s letter of opposition can be found at the following site: http://www.napo.org/washington- report/latest-news-updates/napo-opposes-debo-adegbile-nomination/ . Please send a copy of your letter to Melissa Nee (mnee@napo.org) so that NAPO can ensure all of our member groups are heard. If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Nee at: mnee@ napo.org or 703-549-0774. NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POLICE OFFICERS