National President Patrick Yoes released a statement regarding the House passing H.R. 6509, the Public Safety Officer Pandemic Response Act, and S. 2746, the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection Act. The FOP supports both of these bills. To view the statement, please click here.
FOP Legislative News
National President Patrick Yoes sent a letter to Speaker Nancy P. Pelosi (D-CA) and Representative Kevin O. McCarthy (R-CA) in support of H.R. 6509, the Public Safety Officer Pandemic Response Act, and urged the House to pass it. The legislation would establish a presumption for death benefit claims and ensure that public safety officers who contract COVID-19 in the line of duty are eligible for benefits should they become disabled from the novel coronavirus. To view President Yoes’ letter, please click here.
Senior Legislative Liaison Tim Richardson spoke with majority and minority staff with the House Committee on the Judiciary about this week’s vote on H.R. 6509, the Public Safety Officer Pandemic Response Act.
Senior Legislative Liaison Tim Richardson spoke with staff in the offices of Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) about the need for legislation to amend the Law Enforcement Officers’ Safety Act to suspend the qualification requirement for qualified retired law enforcement officers for the duration of the national emergency and a potential companion bill for H.R. 1156, the “LEOSA Reform Act.”
Senior Legislative Liaison Tim Richardson spoke with staff in the office of Representative William J. Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) regarding changes to S. 1208, the “Protecting America’s First Responders Act,” which would amend the statutes governing the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program.
The National Legislative Office provided FOP members with information, released by the office of Senator Chris A. Coons (D-DE), Co-Chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, regarding a bipartisan letter, penned by Senators Coons and Susan M. Collins (R-ME), to Senate leadership encouraging additional support for first responders in the next COVID-19 relief package. To read the letter and learn more about the priorities outlines, please click here.
Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) took to the Senate floor to speak in favor of legislation he recently introduced with Senator Corey A. Booker (D-NJ). The legislation, S. 3607, the “Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act,” would establish that officers who die from COVID-19 or a COVID-19 related illness are presumed to have done so in the line of duty and are eligible for the death benefit administered by the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program. The Senate passed the legislation by voice vote last week and was sent to the House for further action. The National Legislative Office staff worked with the Senators’ offices on the draft legislation to establish this critical presumption. The FOP strongly supports this legislation. To watch Senator Grassley’s floor speech, please click here.
Senior Legislative Liaison Tim Richardson spoke with staff in the office of Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) about the need for legislation to amend the Law Enforcement Officers’ Safety Act to suspend the qualification requirement for qualified retired law enforcement officers for the duration of the national emergency and a potential companion bill for H.R.1156, the “LEOSA Reform Act.”
Senior Legislative Liaison Tim Richardson spoke with minority staff of the House Judiciary Committee about the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program and pending legislation.
The National Legislative Office provided FOP members with information, released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), regarding Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd’s statement in support of efforts to streamline payments under the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program (PSOB) to public safety officers fatally injured while working during the COVID-19 pandemic. To view this statement, please click here.
Yesterday, National President Patrick Yoes sent a letter to Senators Grassley (R-IA) and Booker (D-NJ) in support of S. 3607, the “Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act,” which would establish a presumption that a law enforcement or other public safety officer who dies from COVID-19 or complications related to COVID-19 did so because they sustained a personal injury in the line of duty, provided that the officer engaged in line-of-duty actions between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021. To view President Yoes’ letter, please click here. This legislation is expected to clear the Senate Committee on the Judiciary tomorrow and be ready for floor action during National Police Week next week.
The National Legislative Office provided FOP members with information released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). To view this information, please click here.
The National Legislative Office provided FOP members with information, released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), regarding federal funding that is available for law enforcement. To see what funding your department or agency can apply for, please click here.
