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Legislative
The State
Lodge maintains an aggressive legislative committee representing the
interests of a diverse membership. The committee is composed entirely of
dedicated FOP members who are experienced in affecting government action. The FOP Legislative Committee is at the
Statehouse each day monitoring law enforcement issues and educating
lawmakers about the law enforcement profession.
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PRESS RELEASES |
REGULAR UPDATES |
LEGISLATIVE LINKS |
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05/13/08 - Victory
on First HR 980 Vote |
FOP Ohio Legislative Update |
Ohio
Legislative Branch |
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12/26/07 -
IRS Finally Issues New Guidance on HELPS |
National FOP
Legislative Update |
Ohio
Congressional Districts Map |
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Gongwer
News Service |
Ohio House
Districts Map |
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Ohio Senate
Districts Map |
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National FOP Legislative Website |
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National FOP PAC Contribution Form |
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For Immediate Release
May 13, 2008
Contact: Jay McDonald
(614) 224-5700
URGENT ACTION REQUIRED
Victory on first H.R. 980 vote!!!
The cloture vote on
the motion to proceed to debate on H.R. 980, the “Public Safety
Employer-Employee Cooperation Act,” was passed on a lopsided 69-29 vote.
All Senate Democrats, including both Senators Clinton (D-NY) and Obama
(D-IL), as well as independent Senators Lieberman (ID-CT) and Sanders
(I-VT) voted in favor of the cloture motion, as did the following
Republicans (Republican Senators who are cosponsors of the Senate bill,
S. 2123, are marked with an asterisk.)
Chambliss (GA) | Coleman (MN)* | Collins (ME)* | Domenici (NM)* |
Grassley (IA) | Gregg (NH)* | Hagel (NE) | Hatch (UT) | Martinez (FL)* |
McConnell (KY) | Murkowski (AK)* | Smith (OR)* | Snowe (ME)* | Specter
(PA)* | Stevens (AK)* | Sununu (NH)* | Thune (SD) | Voinovich (OH)
The full vote tally can be found here:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00126
The margin of our
victory is due in large part to our grassroots—but we need to keep up
and sustain the effort.
NEED FOR
CONTINUED ACTION:
The Senate
is debating this bill on the floor
NOW.
With debate on the bill beginning today, now it is even more important
to contact the office of your Senators and urge them to support, or to
continue to support, law enforcement officers by voting in favor of the
bill!!!
All FOP
members should call their Senators and thank them for their vote OR ask
them to support the H.R. 980 on the floor during the debate today. You
can reach them at their Washington offices or through the U.S. Capitol
Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Keep calling
your Senators' offices and let them know how important this legislation
is to you!!! We still have several more votes to win if we are to get
this legislation passed.
During your conversation with a Senate staff member, you should
emphasize that the bill does not require binding arbitration, protects
existing right-to-work laws, and specifically prohibits strikes and
lockouts. The legislation merely requires that States “substantially
provide” for the following rights and responsibilities:
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the right to form
and join a labor organization;
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the right to
bargain over hours, wages, and the terms and conditions of
employment; and
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the availability
of an “interest impasse resolution mechanism such as fact-finding,
mediation, arbitration, or comparable procedures.“
Additional talking
points to use when making your case:
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Last July, H.R.
980, was favorably reported by the House Committee on Education and
Labor on a 42–1 vote. Later that same month, the U.S. House of
Representatives passed the bill on a 314–97 vote.
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The House bill won
a majority of votes from
BOTH
party caucuses.
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The bottom line
for both public safety employers and employees is not profit for
shareholders, but to best ensure the safety of the officers, to
bring them home safely at the end of their shift and to deliver
emergency services in the fastest and most efficient way possible.
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It is
irresponsible and offensive to suggest that collective bargaining
would impede or jeopardize the ability of law enforcement officers
to do their jobs. Their lives are on the line every day, agreement
or no agreement, and to suggest that response to a critical incident
would be used as a bargaining chip is reprehensible.
You can get additional
information on the bill, and can direct Senate staff to, the Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs) on the Grand Lodge web site:
http://www.fop.net/legislative/issues/bargain/hr980faq.pdf.
If any of the Senator's staff that you speak with have additional
questions about the legislation, tell them to contact Tim Richardson at
in the FOP's National Legislative Office at 202-547-8189.
It is
important that FOP members understand that today's victory was only the
first step—we'll have to win several more votes before the bill will be
sent to the White House. The members of the IACP and National Sheriffs'
Association are working very hard to kill this bill in any way they can.
Without continued grassroots activity from our rank-and-file members,
they could still prevail!
We need all FOP
members to
contact their senators in their
Washington, D.C. office now and ask them to vote in favor of cloture on
the motion to proceed to H.R. 980, the “Public Safety Employer-Employee
Cooperation Act”!!!
Call now and
watch your e-mail and the FOP web site for additional legislative
alerts!!!
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For Immediate Release
December 26, 2007
Contact: Jay McDonald
(614) 224-5700
IRS Finally Issues New Guidance on HELPS
The Healthcare Enhancement for Local Public Safety (HELPS)
Retirees Act, which was enacted in Section 845 of H.R. 4/PL 109-280,
the Pension Protection Act, provision provides a modest tax
benefit to retired public safety officers to pay for health care by
allowing the use, on a pretax basis, of up to $3,000 annually from their
pension funds (including defined benefits plans and defined contribution
plans) to pay for premiums on health care and long-term care insurance.
The law went into effect on 1 January 2007. However, the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) issued guidance in February 2007 which defined
accident or health insurance plans in a very restrictive manner and
excluded self-insured plans. As a result, this important tax benefit was
initially unavailable to a significant number of retired public safety
officers who would otherwise be entitled to receive it.
At the request of the FOP and other stakeholder groups, the Chairmen
and Ranking Members of the House Committee on Ways and Means and the
Senate Committee on Finance sent a joint letter to the Internal Revenue
Service and the U.S. Department of the Treasury communicating the intent
of Congress with respect to the HELPS Retirees Act and requested that
the guidance be changed. In May 2007, the U.S. Department of the
Treasury responded to that request in a letter to Congress indicating
that the IRS will amend their guidance in such a way as to include
self-insured plans as eligible under the HELPS Retirees Act. Following
the transmission of this letter, self-insured plans which were
previously ineligible became eligible, allowing our members can being to
take advantage of the benefit provided by the HELPS Retirees Act.
On 24 December 2007, the IRS formally issued an amendment to their
original guidance with respect to their interpretation of the term
accident or health insurance plan that is consistent with the original
intent of the Act and the information provided by the Treasury
Department in May. A copy of the amendment to the guidance can be found
here:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/notice2007-99.end.pdf and a link to
this document, as well as an updated version of the FAQ on the HELPS
provision can be found on the Legislative page of the Grand Lodge's
website.
Members with questions should contact the National Legislative Office
in Washington
***This was taken from
www.fop.net, the Grand Lodge webpage. The HELPS Act arose from a
resolution from the Ohio State Lodge as a way to assist our retired
members with their health care expenses. It appears to finally be in a
form that is helpful to our members.
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Ohio Update
Director of Governmental Affairs
Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, Inc.
222 East Town Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Office: (614)224-5700
Fax: (614)224-5775
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National Update
Visit
www.fop.net for information on the
National FOP Legislative Program.
Jay
A. Smith
Director of Governmental Affairs
Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, Inc.
222 East Town Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Office: (614)224-5700
Fax: (614)224-5775
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