[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 85 (Monday, June 24, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H3841-H3842]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF CAPITOL POLICE RETENTION AND RECRUITMENT LEGISLATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kerns). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, since last year's terrorist and anthrax 
attacks, Capitol Police officers have faced extraordinary challenges. 
For months after the attacks, most worked twelve-hour shifts, six days 
a week, to assure that Congress could continue its work. Such grueling 
shifts were required even with help from the District of Columbia 
National Guard, whose members stood watch with our Police for five 
months. The Guard has resumed its normal duties, and the twelve-hour 
shifts have eased, but Capitol Police still confront extraordinary 
challenges.
  Unfortunately for Congress, its staff and visitors, Capitol Police 
also confront extraordinary opportunities--to seek employment 
elsewhere. As trained law-enforcement professionals, Capitol Police 
officers are always in demand by other law-enforcement agencies. 
However, in these times of heightened security, overall demand for 
trained personnel has never been higher. As a result, the Capitol 
Police are losing officers at an alarming rate. As of June 1, the 
Capitol Police had already lost 78 officers

[[Page H3842]]

to other law-enforcement agencies in fiscal 2002, and had three more 
such separations pending. This is more than twice the number lost on 
average to other agencies during the last three years. If this rate 
continues, the Capitol Police will by September 30 have lost 122 
officers to other agencies. This does not include retirements and 
separations for other reasons. This tremendous attrition comes as 
Capitol Police strive to increase manpower to recommended levels.
  One federal agency in particular, the new Transportation Security 
Agency, is attracting trained officers from the Capitol Police and 
elsewhere to serve as sky marshals and other airport-security officers. 
TSA is offering compensation that can surpass the pay of the average 
Capitol Police officer by more than 80 percent. An 80 percent pay raise 
is tough for anyone to refuse.
  There is no doubt that TSA's work is vital. But the security of the 
Capitol complex is also vital. Congress has a responsibility to take 
every reasonable step to ensure that the Capitol Police can attract and 
retain the people needed to make the Capitol safe, so today, the 
distinguished chairman of the House Administration Committee (Mr. Ney) 
and I have introduced the Capitol Police Retention, Recruitment and 
Authorization Act. In addition to sundry authorization matters, the Act 
proposes a number of reasonable steps to reduce Capitol Police 
attrition and encourage recruitment.
  First, the bill would schedule 5 percent pay raises for each of the 
next five years for officers through the rank of captain. Raises for 
higher-ranking officers would be discretionary with the Capitol Police 
Board. This provision would give officers who may be considering 
leaving the prospect of regular increases for the foreseeable future. 
The bill would also increase from six to eight hours the amount of 
annual leave earned per pay period by all officers with at least three 
years' service.
  Second, as a matter of fundamental fairness, the bill would authorize 
the Board to make whole officers adversely affected during the recent 
months of sustained overtime by the limits on Sunday, holiday and other 
premium pay. This provision will restore to the officer roughly 
$350,000 that they earned but could not receive due to those limits. 
The bill authorizes extra pay for officers in specialty assignments as 
determined by the Board, and lets the Board hire experienced officers 
and employees at salaries above the minimum for a particular position, 
as needed.
  Third, the bill also provides important new benefits for officers. It 
authorizes establishment of a tuition-reimbursement program for 
officers taking courses on their own time leading toward a degree in 
law-enforcement field, and authorizes bonuses upon completion of such 
degrees. This will give officers ongoing opportunities for professional 
improvement, which should lead to more rapid advancement. For Congress, 
it will create a more educated and better Capitol Police force.
  To help provide manpower needed to avoid the punishing overtime of 
recent months, the bill authorizes bonuses for officers and employees 
who successfully recruit others to join the force, encouraging the 
entire agency to become recruiters. It allows the Board to employ 
retired federal law-enforcement officers without reduction to their 
annuities, and temporarily extends the mandatory retirement age from 57 
to 59, but only through fiscal 2004, by which the Police intend to 
reach full strength.
  Finally, the bill recognizes that as important as these tangible 
benefits are, there are other, less tangible aspects that can make a 
job more interesting, and help persuade veterans to remain and others 
to seek it. The bill encourages the Chief of Police to deploy officers 
in innovative ways that maximize their opportunities to rotate among 
the various posts and duties, be cross-trained for specialty 
assignments, and generally to utilize fully the skills and talents of 
individuals. This will do much to enhance the appeal and satisfaction 
of the job, and make retention and recruitment easier. If done smartly, 
it will also make the Capitol, and those who visit and work here, much 
more secure.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important measure.

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