The Senate continues to consider H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, with another motion to proceed with debate on the bill on Dec. 19, in which we gained the support of three Senators in addition to those who voted for cloture on Dec. 18. There are 76 Senators who have voted to proceed with consideration of H.R. 82. Republicans, however, continue to refuse to agree to limit time on debate, which means there are 30 hours between each vote to proceed with the bill. Majority Leader Schumer will need to file cloture again on the final bill, after which we must wait another 30 hours for consideration. That would leave the final passage votes to occur on Sunday, Dec. 22 or even Monday, Dec. 23, unless both parties unanimously agree to waive the 30-hour time requirement after each procedural vote.
In a victory for NAPO, the Project Safe Childhood Act was included in the final, compromise Fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act that was passed by Congress Dec. 18. Project Safe Childhood is a national initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The Project Safe Childhood Act reauthorizes and updates this important program to modernize how online child exploitation crimes are investigated and prosecuted and it would improve how federal prosecutors and federal, state, and local law enforcement work together and use new technology to go after predators.
The Senate pulled the consideration of the nomination of Adeel Mangi to be a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from its year-end agenda. Mr. Mangi subsequently withdrew his name from the nomination. This leaves the vacant judgeship to President Trump to fill. This is a victory for NAPO and the law enforcement community since NAPO opposed Mangi’s nomination, announced by President Biden. The opposition was largely due to Mr. Mangi’s role as an Advisory Board Member of the Alliance of Families for Justice, which was founded by Kathy Boudin, who was convicted for her role in the 1981 Brink’s robbery by the Weather Underground that left two police officers executed in cold blood. The Alliance of Families for Justice has advocated for the release of at least six other cop-killers.
NAPO announced its endorsement of South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to be Secretary of Homeland Security on Dec. 4. NAPO supports President Trump’s nomination of Gov. Noem for Secretary of Homeland Security as she has a proven record of supporting law enforcement and making the rule of law a priority.
In a victory for NAPO, Congress passed the Detection Equipment and Technology Evaluation to Counter the Threat of (DETECT) Fentanyl and Xylazine Act on Dec. 18. This bill will authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct research and development, testing, and evaluation on equipment that would help law enforcement better detect fentanyl and other drugs.
In the waning days of the 118th Congress, the Senate passed two NAPO-backed bills, the Invest to Protect Act and the TAKE IT DOWN Act. While we were unable to move these bills through the House, Senate passage will allow us to move more decisively on these bills at the beginning of next Congress. The Invest to Protect Act would create a broad grant program through the Department of Justice (DOJ) for small state, local or tribal law enforcement agencies that will give them resources to help them train their officers, implement or expand body-worn camera programs, provide mental health resources for their officers, and retain and hire officers. A small agency is defined as one that employs fewer than 200 officers. The TAKE IT DOWN Act would establish federal liability for those who generate and distribute deepfake intimate and explicit images, giving law enforcement tools to bring justice to the victims of these crimes, which disproportionately target women and minors. In a world where generative AI is increasingly being used to create deepfakes, it is vital that federal laws be updated to protect individuals against the creation and non-consensual sharing of these images.
Time is running out to nominate examples of outstanding police work for TOP COPS Awards. Please submit your nominations by the Jan. 10, 2025 deadline.
For more details about these legislative issues, please click on the Dec. 20, 2024 Washington Report below.
