SENATE BUDGET
RESOLUTION INCREASES
FIRST
RESPONDER FUNDING
On
March 15, the Senate approved its fiscal 2007 budget resolution, S Con Res 83,
which although non-binding, maps out Congressional goals and spending for the
2007 fiscal year. During debate over
the budget resolution, the Senate approved amendments that support increases in
homeland security funding and funding for first responders.
Justice
Assistance Grants (JAG)
One
such amendment, offered by Senators Mark Dayton (D-MN) and Saxby Chambliss
(R-GA), would restore funding to the Byrne Justice
Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, which the President’s budget proposal sets to
eliminate. The
amendment, S.Amdt. 3018,
would restore funding for the JAG Program to the FY 2003 level of $900 million
- a $484 million increase over current funding levels.
Homeland
Security Grants
Also
approved was an amendment offered by Senators Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and Susan
Collins (R-ME) that would ensure that first responder and state and local
government grant programs that are critical to homeland security are funded at
no less than FY 2006 levels, and would provide increases in funding for port
security, first responder programs, rail/transit security, and National
Response Plan Training. The increase in
funding provides an additional $986 million for homeland security grants funds,
including restoring funding to the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program
(LETPP) to last year’s level of $400 million.
The amendment, S.Amdt 3066, would also increase
funding for the State Homeland Security Grant (SHSG) Program to $700 million.
Bulletproof
Vest Partnership
In January, the
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program was reauthorized by Congress for the
third time since its inception in 1998 as part of the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act
(PL 109-162). The law authorizes $50
million per year through fiscal year 2009 for the program; however, the
President’s FY 2007 budget proposal would slash the program’s funding and leave
it at a mere $9 million.
The Senate
opposes the huge cut in funding proposed by the President’s budget and approved
a floor amendment to the Senate Budget Resolution for FY 2007 to fully fund the
BVP program at $50 million. Senators
Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) are leading the way toward
pushing for full funding of the program.
On April 6, the Senators sent a letter to Chairman Richard C. Shelby
(R-AL) and Ranking Member Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) of the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science asking them to support appropriations
for the BVP program at $50 million or more.
COPS
Senators, led by
Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) also sent a letter to Chairman Shelby and Ranking
Member Mikulski asking for their support in rejecting the massive cuts proposed
by the President’s budget to the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
(COPS). The senators are asking the
Subcommittee to fund the COPS program at the recently authorized level of $1.05
billion for hiring local officers and purchasing technology critical to law
enforcement. Additionally, the letter
asks that $60 million of the $1.05 billion be directed towards the creation of
a nationwide hiring and recruitment effort to help spur interest in a career in
law enforcement.
The President’s
budget proposal would cut the COPS program by 79% and would eliminate funding
for the COPS Hiring Grant Program for FY 2007.
HOUSE
REAUTHORIZES ONDCP
On
March 9, the House voted to reauthorize the Office of National Drug Control
Policy (ONDCP) through 2011, as well as the High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Areas (HIDTA) Program. The
reauthorizing bill, H.R. 2829, permits funding for the HIDTA program at $280
million for fiscal 2007, and an increase in funding by increments of $10
million every two years until the program is set to sunset.
$15
million of the HIDTA funding must be allocated to fight methamphetamine abuse. H.R. 2829 also requires that no more than five
percent of HIDTA federal funds can be spent on establishing prevention
programs.
Congressional
concern about meth abuse in this country is evident
in the many amendments adopted to H.R. 2829. One amendment is designed to curb access to
precursor chemicals used in the production of methamphetamine, while another
amendment creates a National Methamphetamine Information Clearing House to
assist local communities in dealing with the growing problem of meth addiction. The
Clearing House will be an internet database, open to both law enforcement and
the public, promoting the sharing of information regarding successful law
enforcement tactics, treatment, prevention, environmental clean-up of meth labs and social services programs dealing with the
effects of methamphetamines.
On
March 13, the bill was sent to the Senate and is under consideration in the
Senate Judiciary Committee.
UPDATE:
PENSION PROTECTION ACT NEGOTIATIONS STALLED
Conferees have made little progress over the past few months
reconciling the differences between the House and Senate versions of the
pension overhaul legislation. The stalemate
is focused on the issue of requiring companies with low credit ratings to
better fund their pension plans.
Conferees who support this issue believe a company’s credit rating is a
good predictor of financial trouble, while those who oppose it feel that the
use of credit ratings could hurt companies that have fully-funded plans but low
credit ratings.
House and Senate GOP leaders are hoping to combine a new tax cut
package with the stalled pension overhaul bill, which would make it easier for
the tax cuts to be passed without debate. Adding the tax cut measures has
complicated the division over the pension bill, causing the conference
committee to miss its third deadline of having the pension conference report to
be cleared before Congress leaves for Memorial Day recess on May 26.
The NAPO-supported provision– the HELPS Retirees Act of 2005 –
within the House bill (HR 2830) is not an issue of contention so far and
remains in the legislation. NAPO has been a supporter of the “HELPS
Retirees Act” since it was introduced and will continue to work hard to keep
this language included as part of the Pension Protection Act conference
report. If passed, this Act would allow
retired public safety officers to use up to $5,000 annually
from their pension funds, including defined benefit plans and defined
contribution plans, to pay for qualified
health insurance premiums without taxing these distributions.
SENATE ACTS
TO PROHIBIT
TOUGHEN
JAIL TERMS FOR SEX OFFENDERS
With a floor
calendar filled with debates on immigration reform, an emergency supplemental
spending measure, and failed attempts to pass a FY 2007 Budget Resolution, the
Senate managed to move forward on two pieces of legislation. On Thursday, May4, a Senate Judiciary
subcommittee approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would give
Congress the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the
Additionally, the
Senate passed a bill on May 4, which would create new registration requirements
for sex offenders and establish tougher punishments for those who fail to
comply. The bipartisan bill, S. 1086,
sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), provides mandatory minimum sentences
for violent crimes against children under the age of 12. A convicted sex offender would receive 30
years to life in prison for a crime that resulted in death, 20 years to life
for a kidnapping or maiming, and 10 years to life for crimes involving a
dangerous weapon. S. 1082 also makes
federal grant funds available to states for distribution to local law
enforcement agencies to offset the costs directly incurred because of the
legislation.
Dozens of bills
to toughen penalties for sex offenders have been introduced in Congress since
the beginning of last year. With the
House saying that it might simply clear S. 1086 without a conference, this bill
looks the most promising to pass into law.
SENATE
PASSES AMENDMENT TO COMPENSATE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO SUFFER ADVERSE EFFECTS FROM
On May 3, the
Senate passed an amendment to the Emergency Supplemental spending bill, H.R.
4939, that would ensure that police officers, firefighters, and health care
professionals are provided compensation should they suffer injury from any new
pandemic flu vaccinations. The
amendment, sponsored by Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) and Senator Ted Kennedy
(D-MA), appropriates $289 million to fund the pandemic flu vaccine compensation
injury program for first responders.
The Senate’s emergency supplemental spending measure appropriates $108.9
billion in funding - $14 million over the House version and the $94.5 billion
limit President Bush set for the legislation.
With the President threatening to veto the bill and a fight looming with
the House in conference, the pandemic
flu vaccine compensation amendment looks to be in jeopardy.
CONGRESS LOOKING TO INCREASE
On May 4, the House
passed broad port security legislation, H.R. 4954, by an overwhelming
majority. The bill would authorize more
than $5 billion over six years for port security. Among its many provisions, it would require
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to consult with federal, state and
local officials to establish an integrated network of maritime security command
centers at appropriate
law
enforcement agencies are expected to participate in the maritime security
command
centers in order to provide the best protection for the nation’s ports.
The Senate companion
bill, S. 2459, was approved by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
committee on May 2, but has yet to be scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor. Similar to the House bill, S. 2459 creates
joint operation centers and indicates that it expects state and local law
enforcement and first responder agencies to participate in each joint
operations center for maritime and cargo security.
Because H. 4954 and S.
2459 are so similar, neither the House nor the Senate Homeland Security
Committees anticipate any conflicts arising in conference between the two
versions of the port security legislation.