Legislative Update

February 18, 2009

NAPO VICTORY!

COPS Hiring Funds Can Be Used for Retention

Washington, D.C. – Today, the COPS Office announced the availability of the $1 billion stimulus funding under the COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP).  In addition to providing full funding for the hiring of new, full-time sworn officers, the CHRP grants can be used to retain officers who are scheduled to be laid off on a future date as a result of local budget cuts. 

NAPO has been working closely with Congress, the COPS Office and the administration to ensure that the $1 billion in funding appropriated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act could be used for officer retention.  This is a huge achievement for NAPO and we thank the COPS Office for working with us to retool the CHRP language to allow grants to be used for officer retention.

On February 11, just days before the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was passed, NAPO’s elected officers meet with Vice President Joseph Biden to discuss the urgency of allowing COPS funding to be used for officer retention.  The Vice President told NAPO that he would do everything in his power to make certain that CHRP funds can be used for the retention of much needed officers.

NAPO leadership met with Vice President Joe Biden on February 11 to emphasize the importance of immediate federal
funding for retention of local law enforcement officers.  Pictured, Tom Nee, Sean Smoot, Vice President Biden, Bill Johnson. 

In addition to the CHRP grants, state and local law enforcement agencies also have $2 billion in Byrne-JAG funds at their disposal to assist them with personnel costs, training, equipment and the retention of officers.

Application materials are scheduled to be available before the end of March.  Applications for the grants will be accepted only online through the COPS Office web site www.cops.usdoj.gov.  

Please click here to read the letter from the COPS Office, which contains important details on the new CHRP grants and the application process. 

 

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Signed into Law; Includes Significant COPS Hiring and Byrne-JAG Funds 

On February 17, 2009, the President signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, H.R. 1, which included $4 billion in funding for state and local law enforcement programs, including significant funding for the COPS hiring program and Byrne-JAG.

For the COPS hiring program, NAPO was able to secure $1 billion in funding for the hiring and re-hiring of officers, as well as a waiver of both the 25% local match and the $75,000 per officer salary cap.  While H.R. 1 does not include language to allow cops funding to be used for the retention of officers, we are waiting to hear final word from the COPS Office on whether or not the funds can be used for retention.  If the stimulus funding ultimately cannot be used for retention, NAPO is working with members of Congress and the COPS Office to place retention language in the upcoming Fiscal 2009 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill. 

In addition to COPS hiring funds, H.R. 1 includes $2 billion for Byrne-JAG and $225 million for the Byrne competitive grants.  Byrne-JAG funds can be used for officer retention if there is proof that the officer would be laid off if the funds were not made available.  The program funds can also be used to pay personnel costs and overtime for officers that participate in multi-jurisdictional gang and drug task forces.

Below is the summary of the final compromise bill released last night:

o        $1 billion for the COPS Office for the hiring and rehiring of additional career law enforcement officers and civilian public safety personnel.  The bill waives the 25% local match and the $75,000 per officer cap;

o        $2 billion for the Byrne JAG formula grant program;

o        $225 million for Byrne competitive grants (“for competitive, peer-reviewed grants to units of State, local, and tribal government, and to national, regional, and local non-profit organizations to prevent crime, improve the administration of justice, provide services to victims of crime, support critical nurturing and mentoring of at-risk children and youth, and for other similar activities;”);

o        $225 million for Violence Against Women programs;

o        $40 million for competitive grants to provide assistance and equipment to local law enforcement along the Southern border and in High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas to combat criminal narcotics activity stemming from the Southern border, of which $10 million shall be for ATF’s Project Gunrunner;

o        $225 million for Indian Country grants;

o        $100 million to be distributed by the Office for Victims of Crime;

o        $125 million for assistance to law enforcement in rural areas; and

o        $50 million for Internet Crimes Against Children initiatives.

All of these funds are to be available until September 30, 2010.  What, exactly, that means and how that provision will be interpreted by the Hill and the Justice Department will become clearer in the next days and weeks.

The bill and report text (explanatory statement) can be found on the House Rules website: http://www.rules.house.gov/bills_details.aspx?NewsID=4149. 

For the bill, click "Text of Conference Report - Division A" and for the report text, click "Joint Explanatory Statement - Division A".

For more information, please contact NAPO’s Director of Governmental Affairs, Andy Mournighan, at (703) 549-0775.