August 14, 2015
The Honorable Jason Chaffetz The Honorable Elijah Cummings
Chairman, Committee on Oversight Ranking Member, Committee on
& Government Reform Oversight & Government Reform
U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515
Dear Mr.
Chairman & Representative Cummings:
I am writing on behalf of the 26,000 members of the Federal Law
Enforcement
Officers Association to advise you of our support for H.R. 2254,
the "Law Enforcement Officers
Equity Act,” and to requesttheCommittee’s consideration
of the bill at the earliest possible opportunity.
The current
statutory definition
of "law enforcement officer” is one that no longer meets the realities of our post-9/11 security needs.Particularly when all federal lawenforcement positions
undergo similar training,
have the authority to
apprehend and arrest individuals for violations of federal law, and must be capable of meeting the
strenuous
physical requirements of the job.
We therefore strongly support H.R.
2254, which would amend the definition of law enforcement officer
to encompass all law enforcement employees
whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of individuals suspected or convicted of offenses against the U.S., including uniformed officers from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service andtheDepartment of Veterans AffairsPolice Department. In
so doing, H.R. 2254 will help bring equity to the payand benefits for all federallawenforcement officersand ensure that the federal government
has the tools necessary to continue to recruitand retain the bestlawenforcement officers available.
Thank you
in advance for your consideration
of this request.Please do not hesitate
to contact me if we can provide you with any additional information or assistance.
Respectfully yours,
Jon
Adler,
National President