November 16, 2000
POLICE MUSEUM LEGISLATION SIGNED INTO LAW
On October 24, 2000, the 'National Law Enforcement Museum
Act,' S. 1438, passed the House of Representatives and on September 29, 2000, S.
1438 passed the Senate. S. 1438 was introduced by Senator Ben Nighthorse
Campbell (R-CO) and H.R. 2710 was introduced by Congressman Joel Hefley (R-CO).
On November 9, 2000, the 'National Law Enforcement Museum Act' was signed into
law by the President.
This legislation authorizes the National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) to establish a National Law Enforcement Museum
in the District of Columbia, directly across the street from the Memorial. The
NLEOMF would be responsible for building and operating the museum. No federal
dollars are being proposed to establish this museum. In addition, it will
include a research repository, which will make it the premiere source of
information on issues related to law enforcement history and safety. A principle
goal of the museum will be to create a better understanding and appreciation of
the law enforcement mission. The museum will serve as the most comprehensive law
enforcement museum and research facility in the world.
"This museum will be the perfect complement to the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in commemorating the police
profession's extraordinary record of service and sacrifice," declared
Memorial Chairman Craig W. Floyd. According to Mr. Floyd, more than 15,000
federal, state and local officers have been killed in the line of duty dating
back to the first death in 1792. There are roughly 740,000 officers currently
serving in the United States.
Plans for the museum have not been finalized, but it is
expected to include more than 50,000 square feet of mostly underground space,
and cost about $25 million. Ground cannot be broken on the museum until a design
is approved and all of the funding is in place, a process that is expected to
take about five years.
PRESIDENT THREATENS TO VETO
$240 MILLION TAX-CUT PACKAGE
President Clinton has threatened to veto H.R. 2614, a $240
million, ten-year tax cut package, that includes public pension provisions
supported by NAPO. The public pension provisions contained in H.R. 2614 are part
of the original pension bill supported by NAPO (H.R. 1102, the 'Comprehensive
Retirement Security and Pension Reform Act.') The public pension provisions
include portability between different plans, the purchase of service credits,
flexibility for state and local government deferred compensation plans and an
increase to $15,000 as the maximum amount an employee can defer to a 401, 457 or
403b plan.
On October 26, 2000, the House of Representatives passed
H.R. 2614 by a vote of 237-174. The President threatened to veto the legislation
when a number of unrelated provisions were added to the bill. It is unclear if
the Senate leadership will vote on the tax cut package, given the President's
opposition to some of the provisions in H.R. 2614.
COMMERCE, JUSTICE AND STATE APPROPRIATIONS PASSES
CONGRESS
On October 26, 2000, the House passed H.R. 4942, the
'Commerce, Justice and State Appropriations bill (CJS),' that provides funding
for Fiscal Year 2001 for most of our law enforcement programs. The Senate passed
the same bill on October 27th. Congress needs to pass 13 spending bills,
including the CJS appropriations every year, before October 1st. If the bills
are not passed by October 1st, the programs continue to be funded at their
current level. However, new legislation authorized for Fiscal Year 2001 will not
be funded without the passage of these appropriations. The President has
indicated that he would veto H.R 4942 because of provisions dealing with
immigration, hate crimes, and lawsuits against tobacco companies.
The legislation would provide $1.03 billion next year for
the continuation of the COPS program. The amount was negotiated between the
administration and the Republican leadership in Conference. The President, in
his budget, had originally requested $1.3 billion for the COPS program. However,
the House appropriated $595 million and the Senate appropriated $812 million for
the COPS program.
DEGAN III SIGNED INTO LAW
On October 2, 2000, President Clinton signed S. 1638 into
law (Public Law 106-276), which expands the 'Public Safety Officers' Educational
Assistance Program.' This legislation, introduced by Senators John Ashcroft
(R-MO) and Arlen Specter (R-PA), passed the Senate on May 15, 2000, by unanimous
consent. H.R. 2059, introduced by Congressmen Peter King (R-NY) and Bart Stupak
(D-MI), passed the House on September 19, 2000 by voice vote. The program, which
is administered by the Department of Justice, provides educational scholarships
to the dependents of state and local police safety officers killed in the line
of duty or permanently disabled, effective on or after October 1, 1997.
The new law would provide, retroactively, the same benefit
to the dependents of state and local police officers killed in the line of duty,
effective January 1, 1978. However, the new law will not cover, retroactively,
the dependents of state and local police officers who are permanently disabled
in the line of duty. The effective date for permanently disabled state and local
police officers will remain October 1, 1997.
REAUTHORIZATION OF BULLETPROOF VEST PROGRAM SIGNED INTO
LAW
On October 25, 2000, the House of Representatives passed S
2413, the 'Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act'. S. 2413, was introduced by
Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO) and the House bill, H.R. 4033, was
introduced by Congressmen Peter Visclosky (D-IN) and Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ). On
October 10 th, the Senate passed S. 2413 by unanimous consent. The President
signed this bill into law on November 13, 2000.
This legislation is an extension of the current
Bulletproof Vest Program, which passed in June of 1998. The new legislation
would reauthorize the old program through fiscal year 2004 and would double the
funding for the program from $25 million to $50 million each year. The program
provides grants to police departments for the purchase of bullet proof vests.
COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT FOR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS'
BENEFIT PROGRAM
The Public Safety Officers' Benefit (PSOB) program
provides a lump sum payment to the eligible survivors of public safety officers
killed in the line of duty. This benefit is increased every October 1st to
provide for a cost of living adjustment. Effective October 1, 2000, the one-time
financial benefit for Fiscal Year 2001 becomes $151,635. Fiscal Year 2000's
benefit was $146,946 and provided $17,128,902 to the families of 119 officers
killed in the line of duty.
LEGISLATION PASSED TO HAVE STATES REPORT DEATHS OF
PRISONERS IN POLICE CUSTODY
The House and Senate have passed H.R. 1800, legislation
that requires states to collect data on police custody deaths under Department
of Justice guidelines in order to receive federal prison money. The legislation
was introduced by Congressman Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), which passed the House on
July 24, 2000 by voice vote. On October 3, 2000, the Senate passed H.R. 1800 by
unanimous consent. On October 13, 2000, the President signed H.R. 1800 into law
(Public Law 106-297).
Those states receiving grants for federal prison money
would have to report deaths every quarter "of any person who is in the
process of arrest, is en route to be incarcerated, or is incarcerated at a
municipal or county jail, state prison or other local or state correctional
facility, including any juvenile facility." The report to the U.S. Attorney
General would include the following: the name; gender; race; ethnicity; and age
of the deceased; the date; time and location of death; and a brief description
of the circumstances surrounding the death.
NATIONAL STANDARD FOR DRUNKEN DRIVING SIGNED INTO LAW
On October 6, 2000, the House and Senate passed H.R. 4475,
the annual Transportation Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2001. The
legislation provides $58 billion for spending next year on related programs and
projects of the Department of Transportation. The legislation contains a
provision that would establish a national .08 percent blood alcohol standard for
drunken driving.
However, states would have until 2004 to enact a .08
percent standard before losing 2 percent of their federal highway grants. The
penalty would increase to 4 percent in 2005, 6 percent in 2006 and 8 percent in
2007. Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia have a standard of .08
percent. The President signed this transportation bill into law on October 23,
2000 (Public Law 106-346).
NATIONAL POLICE WEEK 2001 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
Friday, May 11, 2001, 12:10 p.m.
7th Annual Blue Mass
St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 10th & G Streets, NW Call (202) 347-2713
Sunday, May 13, 2001, 8:00 p.m.
Candle Light Vigil
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, 400 Block of E Street, NW
Call (202) 737-3400
Monday, May 14, 2001, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 16, 2001, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
National Police Survivors' Seminars
Concerns of Police Survivors, Hilton Alexandria Mark Center
Call (573) 346-4911
Tuesday, May 15, 2001
20th Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Day Services
Fraternal Order of Police, West Front of the United States Capitol
Call (202) 547-1651.
GREAT NEWS
The American Federation of Railroad Police has renewed its
membership with NAPO. The association represents 288 members who were
enthusiastically welcomed back as active NAPO Members.
PENSION SEMINAR REGISTRATION
Registration has begun for NAPO's 13th Annual Public
Safety Pension & Benefits Seminar, February 5-8, 2001, Las Vegas, NV. Call
the NAPO office for more details (800) 322-NAPO.
PLEASE HELP NAPO PROTECT OUR TRADEMARK
Over the last three years, there have been several
occasions when we have discovered organizations, such as a MADD chapter in the
west and a state troopers association in the southeast, using the term "Top
Cops" or "Top Cop" to describe an awards ceremony honoring law
enforcement officer(s). In each case, we wrote a letter respectfully requesting
that use of the term be stopped in an effort to protect our trademark. If we
allowed other organizations to use the term, we could lose all trademark
protection. To help us protect the TOP COPS Awards® trademark, please bring to
our attention any use of the term that you may notice describing an awards
ceremony.
NAPO THANKS LAW ENFORCEMENT SPONSORS OF THE SEVENTH
ANNUAL TOP COPS AWARDS® CEREMONY
NAPO wishes to thank the following member associations who
donated $3,000 or more toward the production of NAPO's Seventh Annual TOP COPS
Awards® ceremony, August 5, 2000.
· Detectives' Endowment Association of New York City
· Detroit Police Officers Association
· Los Angeles Police Protective League
· Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association
· Ohio Patrolmen's Benevolent Association
· Peace Officers Research Association of California
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Archive of Past
Issues:
| August
18, 2000
|
| June
20, 2000
|
| April 17, 2000
|
| Feburary 14, 2000 |
| November 9, 1999 |
| September
17, 1999 |
| July 26,
1999 |
| May 17,
1999 |
| March
23 , 1999 |
| May
1, 1998 |
| October
23, 1998 |
| August
13, 1998 |
| July
6, 1998 |
| May
15, 1998 |
| April
14, 1998 |
| March
6, 1998 |
| December
11, 1997 |
| November
1, 1997 |
| August
28, 1997 |
| July
9, 1997 |
| May
1997 |
| March
14, 1997 |
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