NAPO on the Hill: NDAA; Counter-UAS
House and Senate leadership are working to finalize the last details of the final Fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with the goal of releasing the text by December 7 and votes in the House for the week of December 8. Time is of the essence as Congress is only scheduled to be in session for two more weeks until lawmakers adjourn until the new year.
NAPO continued our full court press to gain support for maintaining our Law Enforcement and Crime Victims Support Package in the Fiscal 2026 NDAA. Through our efforts with the House and Senate Judiciary and Armed Services Committees as well as leadership, we are confident that at least a couple of the provisions of our pro-law enforcement amendment will be included in the final, negotiated bill. House leadership is requiring that any bills we secure in the NDAA are paid for (cost-neutral) no matter how small the budget score is, so we have been working with bill sponsors and Committee staff to find acceptable funding sources.
In addition to our law enforcement amendment, NAPO joined fifteen national public safety associations in a letter urging Congress to include comprehensive counter-UAS authority for state and local law enforcement and corrections in the final FY26 NDAA to give state and local agencies the authority to detect, track, identify, and mitigate drones that threaten public safety. The White House also wants expanded counter-UAS authorities included in the NDAA, with the country hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, which adds significant support behind our ask.
The FY26 NDAA seems to be the last must-pass bill that Congress will take up this year, so it is our best chance to get priority bills across the finish line. We are not alone in these efforts, as lawmakers on both sides are trying to include their priority legislation in the bill, which is what is holding up the release of the language. We will update our members on the status of the Law Enforcement and Victims Support Package and expanded counter-UAS authorities when final text is released.
NAPO Supports First Responder Medicare Buy-In Bill
Representative Greg Landsman (D-OH) and Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) reintroduced the NAPO-supported Expanding Health Care Options for First Responders Act (H.R. 6147 / S. 3221). This legislation would allow public safety officers ages 50 to 64 who are retired or separated from service due to a disability to buy-in to Medicare.
Law enforcement officers often retire earlier than other occupations because of the physical demands and unique hazards of the job, and many are faced with mandatory retirement upon reaching a certain age. Across the country, retiring officers are losing their employer-provided health insurance and, as they are years away from being Medicare-eligible, are forced to spend their retirement money on health insurance premiums.
This legislation is important as it would give law enforcement retirees ages 50 to 64 another option to purchase affordable health insurance coverage. It would ensure they continue to have access to reasonable, comprehensive health insurance in retirement until they reach age 65 regardless of whether their state pension plan provides insurance coverage.
NAPO believes that the Expanding Health Care Options for First Responders Act would help preserve the retirement security and the health of those public servants who selflessly serve and protect our communities. Preserving the retirement security of all our members is a top priority for us.
There has been some concern that those employers whose pension plans provide health care coverage to retirees could try to force retirees into Medicare early rather than provide health coverage. While there is nothing in this bill that would incentivize local governments to drop retiree health coverage and require their early retirees to avail themselves of this option, NAPO continues to monitor this concern. We will work to address it if the prospect of this legislation being enacted negatively impacts our members’ ability to negotiate health care for their retirees.
View NAPO’s letter of support here.
NAPO Submits Testimony for House Hearing
on Violence Against Officers
The House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing on December 3, entitled, “When Badges Become Targets: How Anti-Law Enforcement Rhetoric Fuels Violence Against Officers.” NAPO submitted written testimony for the record focusing on the environment that has enabled attacks on officers to go unabated.
Officers are targets for disgruntled individuals who harbor hatred for the profession and blame them for all of society’s ills and for policies that the officers themselves have no control over. The consistent drumbeat by politicians of distrust of the police absolutely helps engender attacks on officers and encourages the public not to comply with police commands. It is becoming more and more common for persons who come in contact with police to resist, obstruct, interfere, thwart and even attack officers. This is an unacceptable environment in which officers find themselves and it is impacting not just officer morale, but also retention, hiring, and officer safety and wellness.
Tepid responses to the murders or attempted murders of police officers do nothing to discourage future attacks, which is why NAPO strongly supports establishing stricter penalties for those who harm or target for harm law enforcement officers. We believe this will deter violent crimes and add another layer of safety for our nation’s officers. Any persons contemplating harming an officer must know that they will face serious punishments.
NAPO highlighted the administrative tools we believe the Department of Justice can and should use to prosecute those who target officers for violence. We also called on Congress to pass the Back the Blue Act, the Protect and Serve Act, and the Justice for Fallen Law Enforcement Act to provide increased protections for officers.
While we appreciate the House Homeland Security Committee holding the hearing to highlight this important issue, Congress must show our nation’s officers through actions and not just words that they have their back and believe that ensuring protections for them will also ensure our communities are safer.
We look forward to working with the Committee to enact new federal penalties for those who commit violence against our nation’s law enforcement officers.
NAPO Priority Back the Blue Act Reintroduced in Senate
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), together with Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Jim Justice (R-WV), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Sheehy (R-WY), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Todd Young (R-IN), reintroduced NAPO priority legislation, the Back the Blue Act.
The Back the Blue Act would help stop this senseless violence against our nation’s law enforcement community. It would add new criminal provisions to address the assault, attempted murder or murder of federally-funded law enforcement officers. It would also create a new federal crime for interstate flight to avoid prosecution for such crimes. It would increase penalties on those who harm or target for harm public safety officers by making the murder or attempted murder of a local police officer, firefighter, or first responder an aggravating factor in death penalty determinations. The Back the Blue Act would help to bring federal resources to bear in the prosecution of those who attempt to harm or murder any public safety officer.
This legislation is critical, as law enforcement officer assaults, injuries, and deaths have increased sharply in recent years. According to a May 2025 report from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), 342 officers were shot in the line of duty in 2024, of which 50 officers died from their injuries. 80 of those officers were shot and 18 died in 62 separate ambushes or premeditated, calculated assaults. While the number of officers dying from their injuries may be decreasing, the number of officers being targeted for violence remains persistently high.
NAPO thanks Senator Cornyn for his longstanding support for law enforcement and his continued dedication to safeguarding those who protect and serve our communities.
Bill Targeting Online Sales of Fentanyl Reintroduced
Congressmen Eugene Vindman (D-VA) and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) reintroduced the NAPO-backed Targeting Online Sales of Fentanyl Act, H.R. 5744, which would require the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on the online sale of fentanyl, synthetic opioids, and methamphetamine.
The spread of fentanyl in our communities is devastating. It is being mixed with already deadly illicit drugs, hidden in counterfeit drugs, and being peddled at alarmingly high rates to our youth through social media. The data that will be produced due to Targeting Online Sales of Fentanyl Act will ensure the right resources and tools are being provided to law enforcement, government entities, and private sector organizations to combat and deter sales of fentanyl on social media.
With 76 percent of teen overdose deaths in 2023 linked to fentanyl, the time to act to protect our children is now. NAPO supports this important bill and thanks Representatives Vindman and Crenshaw for their advocacy and leadership.
NAPO’s 37th Annual Police, Fire, EMS, & Municipal
Employees Pension & Benefits Seminar
REGISTER TODAY to take an active role in safeguarding the future of your plan and retirement by registering for NAPO’s Annual Pension & Benefits Seminar at Ceasar’s Place in Las Vegas, Nevada January 25 – 27.
The purpose of this Seminar is to educate pension system and employee representatives along with their providers and vendors on the latest issues surrounding the pension and benefits industry. It will focus on the policies of the second Trump Administration, Executive Orders, lawsuits, and the new Congress. Slow but steady progress appears to be being made regarding inflation and the cost of living. Growing concern about our National Debt and the logjam in Congress, though, have threatened the U.S. credit rating and public confidence as a whole. The desire for stability and some sort of predictability remain vital in equity markets, and the battle over foreign policy and trade and tariffs continues.
We will continue to address the growing use of AI as well as liability risks & practical advice for fiduciaries. Benefits themselves continue to be viewed as a key component of recruitment and retention. We will examine these areas and more as we evaluate the effect of these trends on public employment benefits and security, and the near- and mid-term future for U.S. and world economic conditions.
For information contact NAPO’s Director of Events, Elizabeth Loranger, at 800-322-6276 or eloranger@napo.org.
Submit Your TOP COP Nominations Today!
Please take the time to nominate examples of outstanding police work for this prestigious award. We count on you, our members, to help us get the word about TOP COPS out and obtain nominations for officers nationwide. Join us in honoring America’s Finest by nominating a case today. The nomination form is attached and can be found on our website, and it must be postmarked or faxed to (703) 684-0515 by January 9, 2026. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact NAPO’s Director of Events, Elizabeth Loranger, at eloranger@napo.org or (703) 549–0775.
2026 will mark the 33rd year that NAPO has hosted the TOP COPS Awards®. The TOP COP Awards® Dinner will take place May 12, 2026, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, again coinciding with National Police Week. With your help and partnership, the TOP COPS Awards® will continue to be a tremendous success!