Legislation

AFL-CIO

Council of Prison Locals

Legislative Issues 2001

The Council of Prison Locals strongly support H. R. 979 ,@ Public Safety Act of 1999" and ask for expedition in the passage of this bill. The Council of Prison Locals will strongly oppose the use of any private correctional company to operate any federal sector prison.

The Council of Prison Locals supports H.R.218 , AThe community Protection Act of 1999" This bill if enacted would allow qualified active and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed hand guns self protection.

The Council of Prison Locals will support legislation that would review the Federal Employees Heath Care Program. Currently there are few plans that offer dental , eye care , or prescription programs while in public sector plans these items are covered. We would like congress to consider the possibility of contracting out the entire health care plan by bid. The Lowest bidder with the highest amount of benefits would receive the contract for a specified period of time. We believe this would greatly increase benefits and decrease costs to federal employees and to the Federal Government.

The Council of Prison Locals Strongly Supports H.R. 282, A Correctional Officer Protection Act. A This Bill protects Correctional Workers by reducing by 25 % in drug control and system improvements to any state that does not have specified Federal Penalties prescribed for murder or manslaughter for anyone who while incarcerated kills a state or local correctional officer.

The Council of Prison Locals will support and is seeking sponsors to introduce legislation that would change the current OPM regulations and allow for immediate vesting of hazardous duty employees.

(See attachment 1)

The Council of Prison Locals supports Congress on its efforts to combat crime and make America safe. However, we are seeking a sponsor to introduce legislation that would have non discretionary, mandatory minimum sentences ,on a graduated schedule for any inmate who assaults any local, city, state, or federal correctional worker. The penalties should be enacted regardless of how minor the assault is. It is our belief that Correctional workers protect America every day and we deserve to be protected as well. Current laws are vague and have very minor penalties for inmates who assault correctional workers.

The Council of Prison Locals Strongly urges Congress to reintroduce the Federal Pay Comparability Act with the modifications necessary to bring Federal Employees pay into line with the public sector. Federal Sector employees have never received the amounts called for in the original Federal Pay Comparability Act and now that there is a budget surplus we feel its time that Federal Employees receive a fair and proper pay raise.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR QUESTIONS, WE URGE YOU TO CONTACT THE FOLLOWING COUNCIL OF PRISON LOCALS EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS:

Phil Glover, President 814-288-6142

James Turner, Secretary Treasurer, 715-656-7412

Dennis Biesik, Northeast Regional Vice President 814-362-1411

Larry Raney, North Central Regional Vice President 816- 640-5659

Manny Borquez, Western Regional Vice President 503-638-6918

Brian Lowery, South Central Regional Vice President 870-734-3540

Ron Rubottom, Mid Atlantic Regional Vice President 724-743-4594

Allen Green, Southeast Regional Vice President 850-592-4517

The more than 13,000 members of the Council Of Prison Locals would like to thank you in advance for your consideration into all of these important issues.

Professionally Yours,

The Council of Prison Locals

Council Of Prison Locals 33

AFL-CIO

(ATTACHMENT 1)

The Council of Prison Locals will support legislation that would entitle the spouse and children of hazardous duty employees who are killed in the line of duty. The Council is actively seeking sponsors to introduce legislation that protects or, Avests@ employees immediately upon being employed in a hazardous duty position. Currently the Office of Personnel Management regulations require hazardous duty employees to be employed eighteen (18) months prior to a spouse or child receiving the benefit in the case of death of the employee.

The Council respects the Congressional restraint currently in place in regards to financial matters. However, if this change is enacted ,the expense to the government would be negligible.

We are confident that the current Administration and Congress recognize the potential hazards that our employees face everyday. We believe that the proposed change would greatly assist the families of fallen hazardous duty employees and that the coverage should not be restricted by an employees length of service. The Council of Prison Locals is of the opinion that the insignificant increase in costs to the government would be far out weighed by the benefit to a fallen hazardous duty employees family. We thank you for your consideration in this very important matter and urge you to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

LEGISLATIVE LINKS

U.S. House of Representatives

SpeakOut - House of Representatives

The U.S. Legislative Branch

govWorks

U.S. House of Representatives - Write Your Representative

Code of Federal Regulations

The U.S. House of Representatives Internet Law Library U.S. Code

SearchGov.com - Find Any Government Site

4Congress.com: Congress, US Congress, House, Senate, U.S.

To the E-Board,
Legislative Activity is heating up on several fronts. First, is the repeal of .5% of Federal Employee Salary contributions to help with deficit reduction. The Clinton Administration supports an end to this and it would put an additional. 5% into our members pockets.
There was a mark up in the House Treasury-Postal Appropriations on July 11. It passed by one vote. This means in the full committee it could be struck out again. Please contact your locals to contact any of their congressional representatives who sit on the full appropriations committee. This is a pay issue and should be important to everyone.
The full mark up on the bill may be done today, it is imperative that our members call as soon as possible.

On a different front and one that is close to home, HR 2558, the McCullom bill on restructuring UNICOR was on the Mark up list for July 11. I haven't seen the final bill and have call's into the Crime Subcommittee, UNICOR and the BOP Congressional Affairs office to get one and get it out. We may have to work against this if the compromises made by Mr. McCullom and Mr. Hoekstra are not beneficial to us. I will send out more information when I have it.

I was contacted by AFSCME regarding a contract the BOP has awarded in California City California to CCA for 7500 beds to be contracted for illegal aliens. It is a huge contract and will breath some life into a company that is dying. Manny has contacted the State Correctional Officers Association in California and gotten some information from them on the prison and what steps they are taking to fight privatization. They told Manny that they would work with us on this important issue.
I believe at the next E-board meeting and at the Convention, we need to come up with a Council position on the privatizing on these criminal aliens. Because of the huge amount of inmates on the Southwest border, we have not pushed this issue because of the over crowding it would cause in our facilities. But, if we continue to "look the other way" are our jobs next?

Congressman Traficant, of OHIO, has again reared his head to help CCA stay in business. He now is attempting, through the Appropriations process, to have more DC inmates sent to Ohio and to CCA's prison. He also is trying to get part of the DC appropriations money to do it. There is a Washington Post article on the subject by Carol Leonnig which I will fax to the E-board.

Hope this updates you on everything. Please send this out to your locals on E-mail