Legislative Update

NAPO Victory! Public Safety Collective Bargaining Passes House

On July 1, 2010, in a major victory for NAPO and the public safety community, the House of Representatives passed the Public Safety Employee-Employer Cooperation Act (H.R. 413) as part of the War Supplemental Appropriations Act, H.R. 4899.  NAPO worked closely with House and Senate leadership to include the national public safety collective bargaining bill as part of the domestic spending package that the House voted to add to the War Supplemental.  Congressional Democratic leadership strongly supports granting public safety employees the right to bargain collectively and endorsed our belief that the best way to pass this vital legislation was as part of a larger, must-pass legislative package.  

It is now the Senate’s turn to take up H.R. 4899, which it will do when it returns from the July 4^th recess on July 12.  It is imperative that we make certain we have the support to keep the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act as part of the War Supplemental.   NAPO fully believes that now is the time to pass this bill, which will give public safety officers in all 50 states the right to collectively bargain for hours, wages and safe working conditions.   We have a lot of work to do in the Senate to ensure this bill’s passage and final enactment into law.   

Please join our efforts by calling, emailing or writing your Senators while they are back home for recess and urge them to support the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act as part of the War Supplemental Appropriations measure.  If you need assistance in contacting your Senators, please visit www.senate.gov or contact me at the NAPO office at (703) 549-0775 or at amournighan@napo.org.

Thank you in advance for all of your help.  We will keep you updated on the bill’s status in the Senate.