NAPO Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (202) 842-3560
November 13, 1998
Jody Hedeman Couser
November 13, 1998
PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNS NAPO-BACKED BILL
FOR COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS
FOR THE DEPENDENTS OF SLAIN
PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS INTO LAW!
Washington, D.C. – In a White House ceremony today, President
Clinton signed into law the 'Police, Fire and Emergency Officers Educational Assistance
Act,' a bill that NAPO has concentrated on since October 1997. As reported to you earlier
by NAPO, the U.S. Congress passed the bill in mid-October by unanimous consent
The bill authorizes educational assistance for the dependants of public safety officers
killed or permanently and totally disabled in the line of duty on or after October 1,
1997. It is an expansion of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Dependents Act of 1996,
or the Degan Bill, which was passed in memory of Deputy United States Marshal William
Degan, who was shot and killed in 1992. The expansion covers all public safety officers,
which includes law enforcement officers, correctional officers and firefighters. The
scholarships would be roughly $4,485 per dependent per year to cover four years of higher
education, adjusted annually based on the cost of living.
“On behalf of the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), I want to
thank President Clinton for showing his support for the families of public safety officers
killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty,” said Robert T. Scully,
NAPO’s executive director. “Life is hard enough for the dependents of officers
who have paid the ultimate sacrifice without worrying about how to pay for higher
education. This bill will help give those dependents the financial security to seek higher
education,” continued Scully.
The bill passed with NAPO’s support of an amendment from Congressman Bill McCollum
(R-FL) which would require the Attorney General to request information from an applicant
regarding the amount of educational assistance benefits the applicant is eligible to
receive from other federal, state or local governmental programs. Also the Attorney
General would be required to consider relative financial need of applicants before
awarding educational assistance.
During a White House Rose Garden ceremony, on October 9, 1997, as President Clinton
honored the 1997 NAPO TOP COPS Awards? winners, both he and Attorney General Reno
supported this proposal from the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) to
expand the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Dependents Act of 1996 to provide college
scholarships to the dependents of slain and permanently and totally disabled state and
local public safety officers.
The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) is a coalition of police
unions and associations from across the United States that serves in Washington, DC to
advance the interests of America’s law enforcement officers through legislative and
legal advocacy, political action and education. Founded in 1978, NAPO now represents 4,000
police organizations and more than 220,000 sworn law enforcement officers.
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