NAPO Press Release
Last week, the U.S. Congress passed by unanimous consent, in both the House and Senate, the 'Police, Fire and Emergency Officers Educational Assistance Act,' a bill that NAPO has concentrated on since October 1997. As reported to you in earlier editions of the Washington Report, the Senate passed this NAPO-backed legislation in May 1998, as Police Week drew to a close. On October 10, 1998, the House of Representatives passed a House companion bill favorably with an attached amendment. The Senate, on October 15th passed the House amended version by unanimous consent and cleared it to be sent to the President that same day.
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.
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 AwardsÒ 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 bill will become law with the signature of President Clinton. NAPO will continue to update you on its progress.
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