Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act Would Expand 6(c) Retirement Benefits
Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) recently reintroduced the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act. The bill has bipartisan support and would guarantee that law enforcement officers across the federal government have full access to federal retirement benefits.
The current definition of “law enforcement officer” under federal law prevents some federal officers from receiving full access to their retirement benefits. This legislation would change that definition to be more inclusive of all federal agents and officers.
According to the bill sponsors, over 30,000 federal officers do not receive equal pay and retirement benefits.
Rep. Pascrell, the co-chair of the House Law Enforcement Caucus, explained, “Because of an unfair distinction in our laws, tens of thousands of men and women in uniform do not have full access to federal retirement benefits. They risk their lives the same as their brothers and sisters and any less renumeration for their service is unacceptable.”
Specifically, the law enforcement legislation would give federal officers with 6(c) retirement benefits the ability to retire at age 50 after 20 years of service, or at any age after 25 years of service. The bill would also expand the definition of “law enforcement officer” for retirement benefits to include all GS-0083 officers.
Bill Johnson, Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations, commented on the bill, saying, “The Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act is important because it ensures that all federal law enforcement officers are treated equally regarding retirement benefits. It will also improve the ability of agencies to recruit and retain experienced officers. This bill will ensure that officers across the country receive the benefits that they have earned.”
The proposed change would grant law enforcement officer status to a number of new employees, including employees of the Internal Revenue Service whose duties are primarily the collection delinquent taxes and securing delinquent returns. It would also expand coverage to employees of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs who are department police officers.
Larry Cosme, President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, said of the reintroduction of this bill, “In our view, a ‘law enforcement officer’ in the federal service is a law enforcement officer no matter which agency they work for. Yet under federal law, the definition of law enforcement officers excludes thousands of federal police officers and others— an anachronistic concept no longer matches the realities of modern-day law enforcement.”