Congress Works to Finalize NDAA,
Complete FY 26 Appropriations
With Congress passing a continuing resolution on November 12 to fund the federal government through January 30, 2026, lawmakers ended the 43-day government shutdown, the longest in our country’s history. With only three scheduled legislative weeks left in the year, Congress is focusing on finalizing and passing the Fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and getting as far as possible in completing the remaining FY 26 appropriations measures before January 30.
NDAA
NAPO continued our efforts to gain support for maintaining our Law Enforcement and Crime Victims Support Package in the Fiscal 2026 NDAA. Through our work with the House and Senate Judiciary and Armed Services Committees as well as leadership, we are confident that at least a few of the provisions of our pro-law enforcement amendment will be included in the final, negotiated bill. While the final text of the NDAA has not yet been released, the House and Senate are looking to hold initial votes on the bill as soon as the week of December 1.
The Law Enforcement and Crime Victims Support Package, which was included in the Senate NDAA, is comprised of eight bipartisan, and NAPO priority, bills: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, Improving Police Critical Aid for Responding to Emergencies (CARE) Act, Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act, the Strong Communities Act, the Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act, the Reauthorizing STOIC Act, the Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act, and the PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act. These provisions will enhance officer safety, preserve critical resources for officer mental health and wellness programs, enhance law enforcement’s ability to crack down on those who use the internet to prey on our nation’s children, and support efforts to strengthen officer recruitment and retention.
Negotiations to include the entire package have been rocky, with the House Judiciary Committee Republicans expressing concerns on adding any bills that would increase spending, even for vital state and local law enforcement assistance grants like the Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis (STOIC) Program. The Committee’s aversion to federal grant programs has blocked movement of these bills in the House all year despite their strong, bipartisan support.
We continue to press our case that the inclusion of this package in the FY26 NDAA will support and give vital resources to state and local law enforcement, who play a significant role in our nation’s security, and gives them the tools to effectively protect our communities. Further, with the Administration’s focus on ensuring the safety of our nation’s communities, the Law Enforcement and Crime Victims Support Package will significantly help our federal, state, and local law enforcement reduce crime and safeguard the public.
FY 26 Appropriations
Senate appropriators are looking to move another package of Fiscal 2026 spending measures after the Thanksgiving recess, including possibly the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill. NAPO sent a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) urging them to stand with us in support of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office remaining an independent office within the Department of Justice (DOJ). We have spoken with numerous Committee members that they share our concerns; it is just a matter of getting Committee leadership to agree that Congress should ensure that COPS is not merged into the Office of Justice Program (OJP).
Maintaining an independent COPS Office is a top priority for NAPO and we are urging Senate and House appropriators to include language into the final CJS appropriations bill prohibiting the integration of the COPS Office into OJP. We will continue to work with Congressional appropriators to protect the independence of the COPS Office and ensure our priority grant programs are sufficiently funded in FY 2026.
If Congress cannot pass all the remaining spending measures by the January 30, 2026 deadline, House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) warned that they would then be forced to do another continuing resolution through the end of the fiscal year. That would leave those federal departments, agencies, and programs funded at the equivalent of Fiscal 2024 spending levels, the last time Congress managed to pass all twelve appropriations bills.
House Passes NAPO-Backed Bill to
Repeal D.C.’s Police Reform Law
The House passed the NAPO-supported Common-Sense Law Enforcement and Accountability Now in DC (CLEAN DC) Act, H.R. 5107, on November 19 by a bipartisan vote of 233 – 190. This bill, sponsored by Congressman Andrew Clyde (R-GA), would repeal the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act (CPJRAA), which was enacted by the Council of the District of Columbia on January 19, 2023. We supported Congressman Clyde’s nearly successful effort to repeal this law back in 2023, but it was vetoed by President Biden despite passing Congress in a bipartisan manner.
The CPJRAA has negatively impacted the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the City it serves. It stripped the men and women of the MPD of their right to bargain over accountability or disciplinary issues, creating substandard collective bargaining rights for the officers and setting them apart from their fellow public servants in the District, who are allowed to bargain over disciplinary issues.
Further, the CPJRAA undermines officers’ Constitutional rights, including the right to due process, a right we give to all citizens. Without guidelines and procedures to protect officers’ due process, officers are too often subjected to the whim of their departments or local politics during internal investigations and administrative hearings. The CPJRAA also violates officers’ right to privacy by disclosing officer disciplinary records, without regard to personal identifiable information, which risks putting officers and their families in harm’s way.
The CPJRAA has exacerbated the hiring and retention crisis the MPD continues to face, has negatively impacted officer morale, and set a dangerous example for other cities. We now look to the Senate to build support for passing this important legislation.
House Judiciary Committee Approves NDO Fairness Act
On November 18, the House Judiciary Committee approved the NDO Fairness Act, which would reform the process by which law enforcement obtains non-disclosure orders (NDOs) to limit their ability to access electronic data without a customer’s knowledge. NAPO is closely monitoring this bill as we have concerns about how these new restrictions will impact investigations.
Under current law, law enforcement can obtain an NDO to prohibit electronic communications service providers from notifying the customer that they are under investigation if there is reason to believe that such notice might jeopardize the investigation. The NDO Fairness Act will raise the standard of proof law enforcement must satisfy before an NDO can be issued, from the current “reason to believe” to a standard of “more likely than not” under which law enforcement must show that a denial of the NDO request will negatively impact the investigation.
In addition to raising the standard of proof, the bill adds additional requirements that narrow the use of the NDO and limits it initially to no longer than 90 days with an ability to request extensions through the court. The lone exception is for child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), for which the NDO can last up to a year.
Our concern is that the new requirements to obtain an NDO through the courts do not reflect the reality of law enforcement investigations and the ability to get the data from service providers in a timely and accessibly manner. It also adds burdensome processes for already overworked and understaffed agencies. While we appreciate the period of a year for CSAM-related material, there are other serious and complex crimes that also warrant a year-long NDO such as acts of terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
We have expressed our concerns to staff and stand ready to work with the bill’s sponsors to address our issues and strike a balance between privacy concerns and legitimate law enforcement needs.
FEMA Announces Counter-UAS Grant Program Solicitations
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the release of the Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under the authority of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. This program will provide a total of $500 million in funding over two Fiscal Years to support state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in combatting the unlawful use of unmanned aircraft systems that threaten the safety and security of the American people, communities, and institutions.
To address heightened operational and security demands, FEMA is implementing a phased approach for distributing funding. In FY 2026, $250 million is available to State Administrative Agencies (SAAs) representing the 11 states (CA, FL, GA, KS, MA, MO, NJ, NY, TX, and WA) and the National Capital Region (D.C., MD, and VA) that are hosting (directly or indirectly) FIFA World Cup 2026 events and America 250 national events. These jurisdictions are prioritized due to their critical role in supporting large-scale events that pose unique security challenges.
The remaining $250 million will be distributed in FY 2027, during which all 56 SAAs—including the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands—will be eligible to apply.
Eligible applicants must apply for funding and submit required forms and information as attachments via email to FEMA-GPD-GrantPrograms@fema.dhs.gov. Standard forms are available at www.grants.gov/forms/forms-repository/sf-424-family.
NAPO continues to call on Congress to pass comprehensive legislation to give state and local agencies authority to detect, track, identify, and mitigate all drone activity that threaten public safety and not just related to preventing, preparing for, protecting against, or responding to acts of terrorism.
Related NOFO Documents:
Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity for Fiscal Year 2026
Counter UAS Investment Justification Form
NAPO’s 37th Annual Police, Fire, EMS, & Municipal Employees Pension & Benefits Seminar
Caesar’s Palace ~ Las Vegas, Nevada
January 25 – 27, 2026
Take an active role in safeguarding the future of your plan and retirement by registering for NAPO’s Annual Pension & Benefits Seminar at Caesar’s Palace 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. REGISTER TODAY!
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) 549–07775
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!