U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) on May 21 introduced the bipartisan Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Amendment Act of 2018, H.R. 5896, to streamline the overtime payment process for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents.
“The men and women of Border Patrol have highly demanding jobs and are our most important assets on the front line,” Rep. Hurd said. “We must take care of them and ensure that they are being compensated for the grueling hours they put in to secure our borders.”
Rep. Hurd, who serves as vice chair of the U.S. House Homeland Security Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee, was joined by U.S. Reps. Martha McSally (R-AZ), chair of the subcommittee, and Filemon Vela (D-TX), ranking member of the subcommittee, who were original cosponsors of H.R. 5896. According to the congressional record, H.R.5896 would amend Title 5 of the United States Code to modify the authority for pay and work schedules of border patrol agents, among other purposes.
In January 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring CBP to hire an additional 5,000 Border Patrol agents. That’s proved difficult, thus far. Rep. McSally, in a joint statement with her subcommittee colleagues released on May 21, pointed out that America currently has “dangerous manpower shortages at the border,” and can’t afford high-turnover rates of these critically important “border security resources.”
“Fixing these compensation concerns will address one of the problems causing lack of retention of these highly qualified individuals,” Rep. McSally said. “They put their lives on the line when they put their boots on the border — they deserve a pay raise, not a pay cut.”
In fact, while visiting recently with some CBP agents at a U.S. border location, the congresswoman said they personally requested “straightforward fixes to their compensation structure,” prompting her to join Rep. Hurd in supporting H.R. 5896 as a solution. “We simply cannot achieve situational awareness and operational control of our Southwest border without them,” McSally said.
Rep. Vela added that H.R. 5896 would ensure CBP agents received more reliable paychecks and schedules. “These common sense reforms will allow our frontline agents to focus on their mission, including drug seizures, in a more efficient and effective manner,” he said.
Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), the labor union representing Border Patrol agents and support staff, thanked Rep. Hurd for his hard work on H.R. 5896, noting this legislation marks the second time that the congressman and NBPC have teamed up to address pay issues for CBP agents. The first time, he said, happened three years ago when Congress instituted a new pay system for them.
Specifically, the federal Office of Personnel Management in September 2015 issued final regulations to implement section 2 of the Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Act of 2014, as amended, which established a new method of compensating CBP agents for overtime work. But there was a snafu in implementing the reforms, NBPC said, and Border Patrol agents faced reduced paychecks of $300 to $1,000 per pay period until a legislative fix was worked out in Congress and signed into law by former President Barack Obama.
“Washington needs common sense problem solvers and Congressman Hurd is that kind of member of Congress who can work on a bipartisan basis to get results in Washington,” said Judd.
Rep. Hurd said, “these brave agents deserve certainty each time they receive their paychecks and I will continue to stand by the folks who put their lives on the line to keep Americans safe.”
H.R. 5896 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.