Washington Watch: Legislative Update For the Week of 1 December 2014 I. Legislative News and Activity II. This Week in Congress III. Update on Top Legislative Priorities IV. FOP in the News V. Follow the FOP National Legislative Office on Twitter I. LEGISLATIVE NEWS AND ACTIVITY National President Chuck Canterbury spoke with Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. regarding pending nominations and appointments. National President Canterbury and Executive Director Jim Pasco met with Loretta E. Lynch, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, who has been nominated to be the next Attorney General of the United States. Executive Director Pasco attended a meeting at the White House with President Obama to discuss ways to improve relationships between police departments and the communities they serve. Executive Director Pasco spoke with Vice President Biden regarding pending nominations. Executive Director Pasco spoke with W. Neil Eggleston, White House Counsel, regarding pending nominations. Executive Director Pasco spoke with Margaret Richardson, chief of staff to U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., and numerous other officials at the U.S. Department of Justice regarding pending nominations and the aftermath of the grand jury decision and subsequent events in Ferguson, Missouri. Executive Director Pasco spoke with Brian de Vallance, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), regarding vacancies at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Executive Director Pasco spoke with Heather J. Fong, Assistant Secretary for the Office for State & Local Law Enforcement at DHS, regarding the new immigration priorities. Senior Legislative Liaison Tim Richardson represented the FOP at a meeting of the Officer Safety Working Group hosted by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) in the U.S. Department of Justice. Senior Legislative Liaison Richardson met with Dalen A. Harris, Associate Director for the Office of Intergovernmental Public Liaison at the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Senior Legislative Liaison Richardson continued his participation with the Justice Departments Comprehensive Law Enforcement Review Project. Questions about pension issues Several FOP members called to ask about a recent article by Michael A. Fletcher in the Washington Post that has many FOP members asking questions about the proposal to allow insolvent multi-employer pension plans to reduce benefits for current retirees. The proposal, made more than a year ago by the National Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans, is limited to private sector Taft-Hartley plans and does NOT address public pensions. Our members do not need to be concerned by this proposal. However, we do anticipate that Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) will reintroduce the Secure Annuities for Employee Retirement (SAFE) Act, next year in the new Congress. This legislation would have a negative impact on public pensions and the FOP will be leading the fight to keep the bill from advancing. II. THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS Both the House and the Senate returned to session on Monday. Action in the House The House considered, amended and passed H.R. 3979, the National Defense Reauthorization Act, FY15, on a 300-119 vote. The bill, which reauthorizes funding for all programs administered by the U.S. Department of Defense, now goes to the Senate for further action. The House considered and passed H.R. 5759, the Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act, on a 219-197 vote. The bill, which would prohibit the executive branch from exempting or deferring from removal certain categories of undocumented immigrants, now goes to the Senate but further action is considered unlikely. The House considered and passed H.R. 5769, the Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act, on a 413-3 vote. The bill, which reauthorizes funding for the U.S. Coast Guard, now goes to the Senate for further action. The House considered and passed H.R. 5771, the Tax Increase Prevention Act, on a 386-46 vote. The bill, which extends certain tax breaks for twelve months, now goes to the Senate for further action. Action in House Committees The Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing entitled: President Obamas Executive Overreach on Immigration. The Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing entitled: Open Borders: The Impact of Presidential Amnesty on Border Security. DHS Secretary Jeh C. Johnson testified. Action in the Senate The Senate confirmed numerous executive appointments. III. UPDATE ON TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES For the complete list of cosponsors for all of our top legislative priorities, or to find out if your Representative and Senators are cosponsors of specific bills, check out thomas.loc.gov. A. Support H.R. 1362/S. 1172, the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act We have 27 cosponsors on H.R. 1362. The Senate companion bill, S. 1172, has no cosponsors at this time. B. Support H.R. 1795/S. 896, the Social Security Fairness Act We have 131 cosponsors on H.R. 1795. We have 20 cosponsors on S. 896. C. Support Legislation to Grant Statutory Arrest Authority to Civilian DoD Law Enforcement The FOP is engaged in an effort to incorporate language into the Defense reauthorization bills. IV. FOP in the News The National FOP was featured in an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled: Obama Faces Limits in Overseeing Police; Restrained Response in Washington From First Black President and Attorney General. You can read that article here: fop.net/servlet/display/news_article?id=5990&XSL=xsl_pages/public_news_individual.xsl&nocache=29290328 The National FOP was featured in another news article in the Wall Street Journal entitled: Police Move to Revamp Tactics Departments; Rethink Training Amid Wave of Protests and Federal Scrutiny. You can read that article here: fop.net/servlet/display/news_article?id=5991&XSL=xsl_pages/public_news_individual.xsl&nocache=29290205 The National FOP was mentioned in an article entitled Shrinking U.S. Police Forces Crimp Obamas Plan to Bolster Community Relations, which you can read here: fop.net/servlet/display/news_article?id=5989&XSL=xsl_pages/public_news_individual.xsl&nocache=29290085 The National FOP was featured in two national news stories regarding the issue of police militarization and our members efforts to provide personal security to Darren Wilson. You can read those articles here: fop.net/servlet/display/news_article?id=5986&XSL=xsl_pages/public_news_individual.xsl&nocache=29290006 The National FOP drafted letters to the NFL and NFLPA to express our disappointment with the behavior of several players on the St. Louis Rams. You can read those letters here: fop.net/servlet/display/news_article?id=5981&XSL=xsl_pages/public_news_individual.xsl&nocache=29289917 V. Follow the FOP National Legislative Office on Twitter! Sign up today for the latest news from Capitol Hill: https://twitter/FOPLegislative
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 16:33:15 +0000
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