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NOP Washington Watch: Legislative Update

For the Week of 10 June 2019

  1. Legislative News and Activity
  2. This Week in Congress
  3. Update on Top Legislative Priorities
  4. PRESS RELEASE: FOP Calls For Swift Floor Action On 9/11 Benefits Reauthorization
  5. PRESS RELEASE: FOP Applauds Financial Services Committee on Passage of Crucial Anti-Money Laundering Bill
  6. Support the National FOP PAC
  7. Follow the FOP on Facebook & Twitter!


I. LEGISLATIVE NEWS AND ACTIVITY

Executive Director Jim Pasco:

  • spoke to Tim Shea, Senior Counsel to U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr, regarding the nomination of National President Chuck Canterbury to be the next Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and how the process will work going forward (Click Here To Read More);
  • spoke to Dean M. Kueter, Jr., Law Enforcement Advisor for the State and Local Law Enforcement Coordination Section (SLEC-S) within the Office of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice, regarding the role this Section will have interacting with the FOP and the law enforcement community generally; and
  • spoke to numerous staff members at the White House on several occasions regarding President Donald J. Trump's recently announced Second Chance Hiring program. The FOP supports this program which, if properly administered, could reduce recidivism by more than 60% and will continue to work with the U.S. Department of Justice on its implementation.

Senior Legislative Liaison Tim Richardson had numerous conversations with staff from the House Committee on the Judiciary regarding the H.R. 1327, the "Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act," and H.R. 2368, the "Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis (STOIC) Act."

Senior Legislative Liaison Richardson and Legislative Liaison Scott Marks had numerous conversations with staff from the House Committee on Financial Services regarding H.R. 2513, the "Corporate Transparency Act."

Legislative Liaison Marks met with staff in the office of Representatives Denver L. Riggleman (R, VA-05) and Ann L. Wagner (R, MO-02) regarding H.R. 2513, the "Corporate Transparency Act."

Legislative Liaison Marks attended a monthly meeting with stakeholders regarding next steps on the "Corporate Transparency Act" and other anti-money laundering legislation.

Legislative Liaison Marks met with staff in the offices of Senators John N. Kennedy (R-LA) and R. Jon Tester (D-MT) regarding a potential companion bill to H.R. 2513, the "Corporate Transparency Act."

Legislative Liaison Mark McDonald represented the FOP at a monthly meeting of criminal justice stakeholder groups.

II. THIS WEEK IN CONGRESS

Action in the House Committees

The Committee on Financial Services considered and reported favorably H.R. 2513, the "Corporate transparency Act," on a 46-13 vote. The FOP supports this legislation, which can now be considered on the House Floor. (See Item IV. For More Details)

The Committee on the Judiciary considered and reported favorably H.R. 1327, the "Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act," and H.R. 2368, the "Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis (STOIC) Act," by voice vote. The FOP supports both of these bills, which can now be considered on the House Floor. (See Item IV. For More Details)

Action in the Senate Committees

The Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing entitled: "The Secure and Protect Act: a Legislative Fix to the Crisis at the Southwest Border."


III. UPDATE ON TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

A. Support H.R. 141/S. 521, the "Social Security Fairness Act"
3 additional cosponsors signed on to H.R. 141, bringing our total to 185.

  • Two weeks ago the National FOP Legislative Office sent letters to the 37 Members of Congress that had previously cosponsored this legislation in the 115th Congress, asking them to again cosponsor the bill in this Congress (click here to read the full letter). Since then, nine Members have signed on.

We have 30 cosponsors on S. 521.

B. Support H.R. 1195/S. 473, the "Law Enforcement Officers' Equity Act"
We have 36 cosponsors on H.R. 1195.
We have 1 cosponsor on S. 473.

C. Support H.R. 1154/S.1394, the "Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act"
4 additional cosponsors signed on to H.R. 1154, bringing our total to 117.

We have 17 cosponsors on to S. 1394.

IV. PRESS RELEASE: FOP CALLS FOR SWIFT FLOOR ACTION ON 9/11 BENEFITS REAUTHORIZATION (Click Here To Read More


Chuck Canterbury, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, welcomed the news that the House Committee on the Judiciary has reported favorably H.R. 1327, the "Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act," on a voice vote one day after an emotional subcommittee hearing.

"Each year, on the 11th of September, our nation pauses to reflect on the victims and heroes who lost their lives in the heinous attacks on the United States in 2001. Yet too often we forget about those heroes who survived that day, who put themselves at risk to save others as well as those who, in the months after the attack, worked at Ground Zero sifting through the carnage," Canterbury said. "These responders may not have presented an immediate physical injury, but their exposure to the wreckage and to the toxins and chemicals released when the Twin Towers fell still cost them their lives."

The legislation passed by the Judiciary Committee will reauthorize the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) through Fiscal Year 2090, the same reauthorization Congress provided for the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP).

"As a nation, we made a solemn commitment to these brave men and women, all of whom answered the call of duty," Canterbury said. "Now it's Congress' turn to answer the call—their call—and immediately pass this bill on the House floor and send it to the Senate."

The House Committee on the Judiciary also passed H.R. 2368, the "Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis (STOIC) Act," by voice vote. This bill is identical to S. 998, which passed the Senate last month. The House can consider either bill, which revives and expands programs designed to help officers and their families with stress reduction, suicide prevention, and the promotion of overall mental health and wellness.

V. PRESS RELEASE: FOP APPLAUDS FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE ON PASSAGE OF CRUCIAL ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING BILL (Click Here To Read More)

Chuck Canterbury, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, welcomed the news that the House Committee on Financial Services has reported favorably H.R. 2513, the "Corporate Transparency Act," on a bipartisan 43-16 vote.

"Transnational criminal organizations and terrorist operations are abusing our banks, financial institutions and other means to profit from their illegal activity. This is a well-documented problem for our financial institutions and for law enforcement," Canterbury said. "Today, the House Committee on Financial Services adopted legislation, developed in partnership with the FOP and other law enforcement groups, which will help us combat these sophisticated money laundering enterprises."

The legislation would protect the U.S. financial system from misuse by requiring the U.S. Department of the Treasury, specifically the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), to collect beneficial ownership information from corporations and limited liability companies formed under State laws.

"Once FinCEN has the ability to share this information, law enforcement will be able to investigate possible connections between these corporations and terrorist funding," Canterbury said. "Just as robbers or burglars wear masks to hide their faces and make identifying them more difficult; the criminals we are chasing in these cases use shell corporations as masks, concealing themselves while still profiting from their crimes."

The bill will now go to the House floor for further consideration.

"We are very grateful for the support and leadership of Representatives Maloney and King, who, along with the FOP, have been fighting to get this bill passed for many years," Canterbury said. "Chairman Waters, as well as Representatives Budd and Luetkemeyer were also key partners in this successful effort."

VI. SUPPORT THE NATIONAL FOP PAC


It is crucial to our political agenda that we keep our PAC competitive with other organizations. If you want more information on the PAC or want to sign up for a $5.00 monthly recurring contribution, please email scott.marks@fop.net or call (202) 547-8189.

VI. FOLLOW THE FOP ON FACEBOOK & TWITTER!

Follow the FOP on Facebook [@NationalFraternalOrderOfPolice] and Twitter [@GLFOP ] for the latest news from Capitol Hill!