The Final Push Before the Recess
DARRYL NIRENBERG Partner JASON ABEL Of Counsel EVA RIGAMONTI Associate Steptoe & Johnson LLP Appropriations Earlier this year, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) expressed their intent to pass all 12 appropriations bills — legislation that funds the individual government agencies and their programs — before […]
Congress Takes on Appropriations and Opioids
FEDERAL LEGISTLATION Congress Takes on Appropriations and Opioids DARRYL NIRENBERG Partner JASON ABEL Of Counsel EVA RIGAMONTI Associate Steptoe & Johnson LLP As Congress returned from its Memorial Day recess, both the Senate and the House continued on appropriations bills and addressing the opioid epidemic. Appropriations Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has committed to […]
LEGISLATIVE DAY on May 3rd
Lawmakers Address Law Enforcement Needs as Summer Approaches
DARRYL NIRENBERG Partner JASON ABEL Of Counsel EVA RIGAMONTI Associate Steptoe & Johnson LLP May started slowly on Capitol Hill, with the House and Senate in recess during the first week. But when the session resumed, lawmakers continued to address matters that PORAC members raised during last month’s successful fly-in, including encryption, digital security, […]
2016 CALIFORNIA MEMORIAL CEREMONY Honoring Our Fallen Heroes
On May 1 and 2, officers, families and law enforcement supporters from across the state gathered at the Capitol in Sacramento for the 40th annual California Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony. The solemn and moving event honored the four officrs killed in the line of duty in 2015 (plus one from a prior year), as well […]
PORAC Advocates in D.C. During April Fly-In
DARRYL NIRENBERG Partner JASON ABEL Of Counsel EVA RIGAMONTI Associate Steptoe & Johnson LLP Overview It has been a very busy spring on Capitol Hill for lawmakers and PORAC. PORAC members visited Washington, D.C., during the week of April 11 to discuss important law enforcement-related issues with members of Congress. PORAC met with over 30 […]
PORAC Opposes H.R. 699 / E-Mail Privacy Act
On behalf of the Peace Officers Research Association of California (“PORAC”), the
nation’s largest statewide public safety association, representing over 66,000 members in
California and Nevada, I write to oppose H.R. 699, the “the Email Privacy Act,” which seeks to
update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (“ECPA”) for the digital age.
PORAC supports reforming ECPA and acknowledges the need for renewing this
outdated law, but H.R. 699 is not the answer. The ability to access electronic communications is
critical for law enforcement to ensure public safety efficiently and effectively. As written, H.R.
699 places an undue burden on law enforcement’s ability to gather digital evidence, providing
Presidential Primaries and Supreme Court Drama
DARRYL NIRENBERG Partner JASON ABEL Of Counsel EVA RIGAMONTI Associate Steptoe & Johnson LLP March saw a flurry of activity in Washington, D.C., as policymakers delved into the appropriations process — in which Congress sets the discretionary funding for various activities, including justice programs, as well as the funding for general government operations. In […]
D.C. Update: The Budget and Presidential Primaries
DARRYL NIRENBERG Partner JASON ABEL Of Counsel EVA RIGAMONTI Associate Steptoe & Johnson LLP Overview After a snowstorm shut down Washington, D.C., for a week, Congress finally settled in to debate comprehensive energy reform and kick off the appropriations process. In the midst of these legislative concerns, the presidential primary season got off to […]
A Victory on Law Enforcement Funding
DARRYL NIRENBERG Partner JASON ABEL Of Counsel EVA RIGAMONTI Associate Steptoe & Johnson LLP Following a productive fall, lawmakers returned from the holiday recess with renewed momentum to address criminal justice reform. Supporters of the bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 (S. 2123) are hopeful that it will reach the Senate floor […]