[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 68 (Thursday, May 23, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E889]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   OFFICERS OF THE UNIFORMED DIVISION AND U.S. PARK POLICE EQUITY PAY

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                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 22, 2002

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, today Representative Tom Davis and I have 
introduced a bill to provide the United States Secret Service Uniformed 
Division and the United States Park Police with the same locality pay 
adjustments as other Federal employees.
  In the FY 2001 Omnibus Appropriations Act, Congress included a bill 
called the Law Enforcement Pay Equity Act. The purpose of the Act was 
to improve officer retention within the United States Secret Service 
Uniformed Division and U.S. Park Police. The Act's aim was to improve 
officer retention by raising the Uniformed Division and Park Police pay 
scales so that they were equivalent or similar to other pay scales in 
the Metropolitan area.
  However, Section 903 of the Act froze the rate of locality pay the 
employees of the Uniformed Division and U.S. Park Police receive at the 
level in effect in the year 2000. This freeze in locality pay has 
caused the Uniformed Division and Park Police pay scales to lag behind 
the compensation scales of other agencies competing for the same 
workforce.
  In the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, Officers of the Uniformed 
Division and the U.S. Park Police are currently locked into a locality 
rate of 9.05%, but the standard locality rate for U.S. Government 
employees in the Washington area is 11.48%, a difference of 2.43%.
  By fixing this problem, the median salary of an Officer with thirteen 
years of service would increase by $1,375 per year.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill, in essence, unlocks the freezer door, opens 
it up, and allows the locality pay to thaw to normal levels. At a time 
when the Uniformed Division and Park Police are trying to increase 
morale and maintain top rate officers, this bill is a small but 
significant signal that Congress cares about their welfare. This bill 
fixes what I consider an unfair technicality and provides them with 
equitable locality pay.

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