Congress Weighs Law Enforcement Recruitment, Retirement Legislation
There’s a batch of new legislation in Congress that could impact the hiring as well as the pay, benefits, and retirement of federal law enforcement officers.
First in the Senate, the Recruit and Retain Act is designed to boost law enforcement recruitment and retention as agencies battle staffing issues.
The bill would cut the cost of onboarding an officer by expanding Department of Justice (DOJ) Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants. It would also encourage partnerships between agencies and local schools, to get students interested in law enforcement careers. It also directs a study to look at the recruitment and retention challenges in law enforcement.
Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Chris Coons (D-DE) are the lead sponsors.
“I’m proud of the growing bipartisan support for this legislation, and I look forward to getting this bill to the President’s desk,” said Senator Fischer.
The Recruit and Retain Act has received endorsements from law enforcement unions and professional associations.
House Weighs Pair of Law Enforcement Bills
In the House, Representative Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), co-chair of the Law Enforcement Caucus, was among the congressmembers reintroducing the Law Enforcement Officers’ Equity Act and the Law Enforcement Fair Retirement Act.
The Law Enforcement Officers’ Equity Act guarantees that police officers across the federal government will receive their full retirement benefits, no matter which agency they serve in.
Under current law, more than 30,000 officers do not receive equal pay and retirement benefits due to a narrow definition of “law enforcement officer” under federal retirement law. Those officers serve in various agencies including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The bill would grant law enforcement status to all GS-0083 officers and provides federal officers with 6(c) retirement benefits and the ability to retire after 25 years of service at any age or after 20 years of service at the age of 50.
“With all federal law enforcement officers eligible for the same enhanced retirement benefits, it will improve the ability of agencies to recruit and retain experienced and highly trained officers,” said Bill Johnson, Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO).
Also reintroduced was the Law Enforcement Fair Retirement Act. The legislation will fix a technicality that restricts retirement calculations on overtime compensation for federal police officers.
The legislation will allow officers to elect to have OPM consider the full value of overtime compensation in calculating their retirement annuity, ensuring that all overtime hours worked can be counted in calculating retirement benefits.
“It is unconscionable that an officer serving overtime does not get full retirement compensation. Our bill will finally fix this technicality so that a federal officer receives every cent they’ve earned,” said Rep. Pascrell.
The legislation also has support among employee organizations, including the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA).
“This is a small but significant step toward addressing a legacy of disparate treatment for federal law enforcement professionals,” stated FLEOA President Larry Cosme.