Choosing a President of the United States
UPDATE Choosing a President 06/18/2008
After consulting with the members of the Presidential Screening Committee, I have decided to post the responses, in full, from the campaigns of Senators John S. McCain III (R-AZ) and Barack H. Obama II (D-IL), the presumptive nominees for the Office of President of the United States by their respective political parties.
These responses are being provided to you for your review and information, but please understand there are several steps yet in the FOP's endorsement process. Follow-up questions, based on these responses, have been created and will be put to the candidates when they meet directly with the Presidential Screening Committee.
Each State Lodge has (or should have) a process by which the members of the local lodges within the State Lodge would convey their preference for a candidate to their National Trustee. It is important that each member know about his or her State's process for instructing their National Trustee so that all FOP members can meaningfully participate in this process.
The Board of National Trustees will meet and vote in September and the candidate who receives a two-thirds majority will receive the endorsement of the Grand Lodge.
I ask that you bear in mind that there is not and never will be a candidate with whom we will agree 100% of the time. I ask that you carefully and deliberately review the candidates, their responses, and their history on the issues that matter to us and then participate in the process devised by your State Lodge to convey your views to your National Trustee.
Chuck Canterbury
National President
Top Legislative Priorities for the 110th National Congress:
I. Social Security Issues
A. Support H.R. 82/S. 206, the "Social Security Fairness Act"
The FOP strongly supports legislation to restore full Social Security benefits for law enforcement officers by repealing both the "Windfall Elimination Provision" (WEP) and the "Government Pension Offset" (GPO).
B. Opposing any legislation that would require the participation of public employees in Social Security
The FOP also vehemently opposes legislation which would mandate participation in Social Security for current or newly hired public employees who participate in their own retirement systems and do not pay into Social Security.
II. Support H.R. 980, the "Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act"
The FOP strongly supports this legislation, which would guarantee the right of public employees to bargain collectively with their employers over hours, wages and conditions of employment. The bill mandates that each State pass laws providing minimum collective bargaining rights to their public safety employees and outlines certain provisions to be included in those laws. Strikes and lockouts are prohibited by the bill and States with collective bargaining laws already on the books will be exempt from the Federal statute.
III. Support H.R. 688/S. 449, the "State and Local Law Enforcement Officers' Discipline, Accountability and Due Process Act"
The FOP strongly supports a "bill of rights" for law enforcement officers who are, in a number of jurisdictions, denied their due process rights by police administrators and management in noncriminal proceedings. There is a need for a minimum level of procedural protections for law enforcement officers accused of administrative wrongdoing because of the gravity of potential harm to officers created by this lack of uniform safeguards.
Please click here to link to fop.net for more detailed information.
National Information:
August 12, 2007 Louisville, KY
58th Biennial National Conference and EXPO
September 6, 2007 Atlantic City, NJ
State Presidents Meeting
September 28, 2007 Rocky Mount, NC
North Carolina Fall Board Meeting
Version: 1.4 (Thursday 28th of August 2008)
