There are many new laws coming out of 2020. Some good for police and others not. Police departments across the country are being held accountable for the actions of a few officers involved in high profile deaths. This has resulted in extensive protests, property damage and calls for defunding. Several state legislatures have responded with preemption bills. These limit the actions that local governments can take in reducing their police funding. Some would say that they limit the rights of local communities. But at the same time they protect communities from being targeted by special interest groups. It’s all a matter of perspective. Many local protests against police would end if the protesters couldn’t put pressure on the local governments to make changes.
Police Department Funding Bills
Here is some of the legislation that is in the works in different states.
- IN (SB 42): This bill prohibits local government from reducing annual public safety budgets unless there’s a revenue shortfall. It seems pretty straight forward, but many communities are under pressure that is not budget related.
- LA (HB 67): This bill allows the legislature to reduce appropriation of sales tax dedications to a municipality that has reduced the annual operating budget of its police department. This applies if the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget finds that the reduction will have a significant and harmful effect on public safety. The reduction may be proportional to the amount of funding reduced.
- MO (SB 66): Introduced 12/1/20; Status: Pre-filed. The bill makes localities ineligible for state funding if they decrease their law enforcement budget. This applies to reductions of more than 12 percent in relation to other budget items in the proposed budget. Similar bills that have been filed include: AZ (HB2310); NJ (A4990); TX (HB 638).
Now, none of these laws specifically protect police funding. But they do protect funding from perceptions about whether police should be replaced. There are enough Covid related budget issues for police to be concerned about. Crime is up in many communities, and tax revenue is down. If nothing else, these laws make sure there is a level playing field if budget cuts are necessary.
