Bills Introduced,
110th Congress
Budget
The President presented Congress with his budget
proposal for fiscal year 2008, eliminating funding for
several programs affecting law enforcement, including
the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program.
President's Budget Request for the
U.S. Department of Justice
President's Budget Request for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Collective Bargaining
H.R.980,
introduced by Congressman Kildee,
would provide
collective bargaining rights for public safety officers
employed by States or local governments.
Firearms
S. 376
introduced by Senator Leahy. This legislation
would to streamline current law regarding the carrying
of concealed weapons across state lines. This
legislation would give retired officers more flexibility
in obtaining certification and reduces from 15 to 10 the
years of service required for a retired officer to
qualify under the law.
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H.R.226,
introduced by Congressman Stearns,
would provide a national standard in accordance
with which nonresidents of a State may carry concealed
firearms in the State.
Gangs
S. 456,
introduced by Senator Feinstein. This legislation
would increase and enhance law
enforcement resources committed to investigation and
prosecution of violent gangs, to deter and punish
violent gang crime, to protect law-abiding citizens and
communities from violent criminals, to revise and
enhance criminal penalties for violent crimes, to expand
and improve gang prevention programs, and for other
purposes.
Grant Programs
S. 231
introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein.
This legislation would authorize the Edward Byrne
Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program at fiscal year
2006 levels through 2012. This measure passed the
Committee on the Judiciary on March 15th.
S. 368,
introduced by
Senator Biden. This legislation would enance the COPS on the
beat grant program. Authorizes grants to: (1) hire
school resource officers and establish local partnerships to
combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems in
elementary and secondary schools; (2) establish and
implement programs to reduce and prevent illegal drug
activities, including the manufacturing, distribution, and
use of methamphetamine; and (3) meet emerging law
enforcement needs, as warranted. The bill would authorizes
the use of grants to hire former members of the Armed Forces
to serve as career law enforcement officers. This
legislation passed the Committee on the Judiciary on March
15th.
Homeland Security
S.345,
introduced by
Senator Joseph Biden. This legislation would
establish a Homeland Security and Neighborhood Safety
Trust Fund and refocus Federal priorities toward
securing the Homeland.
S. 510,
the Urban Area Security Initiative Improvement Act of 2007,
introduced by Senator Boxer. This legislation would
specify that the 100 most populous urban ares of the United
States, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security,
shall be eligible for grants under the Urban Area Security
Initiative of the Department of Homeland Security.
S. 608,
the Risk-Based Homeland Security Grants Act of 2007,
introduced by Senator Feinstein. This legislation
would amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to set forth
provisions governing Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
grant funding for first responders pursuant to the State
Homeland Security Grant Program, the Urban Area Security
Initiative, the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention
Program, and the Citizen Corps Program.
Honoring Law
Enforcement Officers
H.R. 146, the Law Enforcement Officers Flag Memorial Act
introduced by Congressman Gene Green. This
legislation would allow the family of a deceased law
enforcement officer to request, and the Attorney General
to provide, a U.S. flag flown over the Capitol in honor
of the officer, to be supplied by the Architect of the
Capitol.
Housing
H.R.172,
introduced by Congresswoman
Barbara Lee.
This legislation would assist teachers and public safety
officers in obtaining affordable housing.
Identification
S.276,
introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein. This
legislation would strengthen the consequences of the
fraudulent use of United States or foreign passports and
for other purposes.
Immigration
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Inmates
H.R. 178, introduced by Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
This legislation would require the Attorney General to
allow community organizations to distribute condoms and
engage in sexually transmitted infection counseling in
federal correctional facilities. The bill
prohibits a federal correctional facility from taking
adverse action against a prisoner who possesses or uses
a condom. H.R. 178 expresses the sense of Congress
that states should allow for the legal distribution of
sexual barrier protection devices in their correctional
facilities.
Officer Privacy
S.
238 introduced by Senator Feinstein. This measure includes
a provision advocated by RSA to prevent state and
local governments from allowing inmates to have access
to social security numbers.
Officer Rights
H.R.688, introduced
by Congressman Jim Ramstad. This legislation would
provide standards and procedures to guide both State and
local law enforcement agencies and law enforcement
officers during internal investigations, interrogation
of law enforcement officers, and administrative
disciplinary hearings, to ensure accountability of law
enforcement officers, to guarantee the due process
rights of law enforcement officers, and to require
States to enact law enforcement discipline,
accountability, and due process laws.
S.449
introduced by Senator Joseph Biden. This
legislation would provide standards and
procedures to guide both State and local law enforcement
agencies and law enforcement officers during internal
investigations, interrogation of law enforcement
officers, and administrative disciplinary hearings, to
ensure accountability of law enforcement officers, to
guarantee the due process rights of law enforcement
officers, and to require States to enact law enforcement
discipline, accountability, and due process laws. Cosponsors
Prison Privatization
H.R. 1889, introduced by Congressman Tim Holden on April 17, 2007. This
legislation would require prisons and other correctional
facilities holding Federal prisoners under a contract
with the Federal Government to make the same information
available to the public that Federal prisons and
correctional facilities are required to do by law.
This legislation has been referred to the House
Committee on the Judiciary.
H.R. 1890, introduced by
Congressman Tim Holden on April 17, 2007. This
legislation would
prohibit federal funds to be used by local and state governments for
prison privatization.
Retirement
S. 206, the Social Security Fairness Act
of 2007, introduced by Senator
Dianne Feinstein. This legislation would repeal
the Government pension offset and windfall elimination
provisions that affect social security retirement
income.
H.R. 82, introduced by Congressman Howard Berman, is
the House companion bill to S. 206.
H.R. 726, introduced by Congressman Barney
Frank. This legislation would restrict the
application of the windfall elimination provision to
individuals whose combined monthly income from benefits
under such title and other monthly periodic payments
exceeds a minimum COLA-adjusted amount of $2,500 and to
provide for a graduated implementation of such provision
on amounts above such minimum amount.
S.47,
introduced by Senator John Ensign. This legislation
would establish
a Law Enforcement Assistance Force in the Department of
Homeland Security to facilitate the contributions of
retired law enforcement officers during major
disasters. Senator Ensign offered this language as amendment
446 to S. 4 and
it passed by unanimous consent on March 13, 2007.
SCAAP
H.R.842,
introduced by Congressman Charles
Norwood. This legislation would
provide for enhanced
Federal, State, and local assistance in the enforcement
of the immigration laws, to amend the Immigration and
Nationality Act and to authorize appropriations to carry
out the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, and for
other purposes.
Union
H.R. 800. The so-called "union card-check" would allow workers to
form unions by signing a cards instead of holding
elections. The bill would change collective bargaining
rules for first contracts and allow either party to call
for mediation by Federal Mediation and Conciliation
Service is an agreement is not reached within 90 days.
If the Service fails to resolve the dispute in 30 days,
a government-appointed arbiter could step in and set the
final contract terms. The bill would also increase
sanctions for workers who retaliate against workers
involved in organizing campaigns. The employers
would pay fines and back-pay to workers fired or
otherwise punished.
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