U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) on Jan. 23 introduced a bipartisan bill that addresses the recruitment and retainment of experienced police officers to ensure departments remain strong, professional, and equipped to protect communities.
“The need for professional, exceptional law enforcement has never been greater — and the dangers our officers face have never been more real,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said during a press conference in the nation’s capital joined by more than 30 police chiefs, officers, union leaders, and public safety officials from Pennsylvania’s First Congressional District.
“These men and women stand on the front lines of that challenge, not for glory or recognition, but out of an unshakable sense of duty to the communities they serve,” added the congressman, a former FBI agent and chairman of the CIA Subcommittee on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
The Fuel the Force Act, H.R. 7210, which Rep. Fitzpatrick sponsored alongside lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez (D-WA), would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude certain income of law enforcement officers from gross income as an incentive to become a police officer.
H.R. 7210 was developed in collaboration with law enforcement professionals and written in partnership with Rep. Fitzpatrick’s constituent Christina Nelson, founder of the national nonprofit Fuel the Force.
Among the bill’s key provisions are that full-time law enforcement officers with at least five years of service could exclude the first $100,000 of their ordinary income from federal income tax each year, a targeted retention incentive for experienced officers to remain in service beyond the five-year mark — an identified attrition point for departments nationwide.
“At a time when departments are stretched thin and fewer are answering the call, this bill sends a clear message: if you step up to serve, your service will be respected, supported, and sustained,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “That’s what this legislation does — and it’s what our officers deserve.”
The measure has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.