[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 198 (Tuesday, December 5, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9633-H9637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SECRET SERVICE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION ACT OF 2017
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3731) to provide overtime pay for employees of the United
States Secret Service, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3731
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Secret Service Recruitment
and Retention Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF OVERTIME PAY EXCEPTION THROUGH 2018 FOR
PROTECTIVE SERVICES.
(a) In General.--The Overtime Pay for Protective Services
Act of 2016 (5 U.S.C. 5547 note) is amended--
(1) in the section heading for section 2, by striking
``2016'' and inserting ``2016 through 2018''; and
(2) by striking ``during 2016'' each place it appears and
inserting ``during 2016 through 2018''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a)
shall take effect as if enacted on December 31, 2016.
(c) Report on Extensions.--Not later than January 30, 2018,
and January 30, 2019, the Director of the Secret Service
shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report on the effects of
the amendment made by subsection (a)(2). The report shall
include, with respect to the previous calendar year--
(1) the total number of United States Secret Service
personnel receiving premium pay above the premium pay
limitation in subsection (a) of section 5547 of title 5,
United States Code;
(2) the total amount of premium pay for that calendar year
paid to United States Secret Service personnel above the
premium pay limitation in such subsection;
(3) the mean and median amount of premium pay paid to
United States Secret Service personnel above the premium pay
limitation in such subsection;
(4) the greatest amount paid to United States Secret
Service personnel above the premium pay limitation in such
subsection and the number of employees who received that
amount;
(5) notwithstanding the amendments made by subsection (a),
the total number of United States Secret Service personnel
who were not fully compensated for service because of the
premium pay earnings limitation in section 118 of the
Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2001 (5
U.S.C. 5547 note);
(6) the total amount of premium pay United States Secret
Service personnel would have been paid but for the premium
pay earnings limitation in such section; and
(7) a list of United States Secret Service personnel who,
within the calendar year, received premium pay above the
premium pay limitation in subsection (a) of section 5547 of
title 5, United States Code, and separated from the agency,
including the type of separation in each case.
SEC. 3. REPORT OF THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE UNITED
STATES.
Not later than 1 year after the effective date of this
section, the Comptroller General of the United States shall
complete a study and submit to the Committee on the Judiciary
of the House of Representatives, the Committee on the
Judiciary of the Senate, the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform of the House of Representatives, and the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of
the Senate a report on the extent of the progress made by the
United States Secret Service in implementing the
recommendations of the United States Secret Service
Protective Mission Panel, including in particular those items
pertaining to training and personnel enumerated in the
Executive Summary to Report from the United States Secret
Service Protective Mission Panel to the Secretary of Homeland
Security dated December 15, 2014.
SEC. 4. RESCISSIONS.
(a) Rescission of Unobligated Balances in the Department of
Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund.--Of the unobligated balances
available under the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture
Fund, $10,000,000 is hereby permanently rescinded.
(b) Authorization to Rescind Future Unobligated Balances in
the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund.--There is
authorized to be rescinded from the unobligated balances
available under the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture
Fund $7,000,000 in fiscal year 2018 and $3,000,000 in fiscal
year 2019.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Rutherford) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson
Lee) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
{time} 1230
General Leave
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 3731, currently under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3731, the Secret
Service Recruitment and Retention Act of 2017.
This bipartisan legislation was introduced by my distinguished
colleague, Mr. Katko, and negotiated between the House Judiciary
Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. It
would make small, but significant, changes to the Federal law to ensure
that the men and women of the United States Secret Service are fairly
compensated for performing their duties.
This bill is necessary because, under current law, many Secret
Service agents have hit the lawful cap that restricts overtime pay in
some circumstances. This means that the brave men and women standing
post, for example, at 2 a.m. in the morning are doing so for free. This
is, without question, an untenable situation.
H.R. 3731 makes two important changes to the law to address this
problem.
First, it raises the overtime cap to ensure that these agents are
paid.
Second, it includes a reporting requirement, directing the Government
Accountability Office to study the
[[Page H9634]]
Service's implementation of the recommendations of the Protective
Mission Panel, or PMP. This change is intended to help address the
recruitment and retention issues at the Secret Service.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation will ensure that the Secret Service is
able to recruit and retain an elite group of dedicated law enforcement
officers. This is an issue that rises above party affiliation, or
ideology. The protection of the President, the First Family, and others
is something that, obviously, we all should want as American citizens.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, let me, first of all, thank my good friend, Mr. Katko,
who is the original sponsor; and I am proud to be an original cosponsor
of this legislation. We serve on the Homeland Security Committee and
have oversight over the Secret Service, as does the aspects of this
legislation, as relates to Judiciary has oversight as well. So ensuring
that our men and women, who put their lives on the line daily, are
protected is an important initiative. As I said earlier, I am proud to
be an original cosponsor, along with my colleague from New York (Mr.
Katko).
The Secret Service Recruitment and Retention Act of 2017 is intended
to provide overtime pay for employees of the United States Secret
Service. Currently, the premium pay for protective services, under the
Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of 2016, has severe earning
limitations, or otherwise caps, which many of these men and women have
reached.
Due to earnings limitations put in place through 5 U.S.C. 5547, many
Secret Service employees are not receiving timely or full payment for
the hours they work. The requirements of protective operations directly
contrast with the intent of an annual pay cap, as the protective
mission requires continued, uninterrupted coverage for our protectees,
beyond the control of the Secret Service. I think that is an important
point.
And I want my colleagues to know that I wholly support that our
protectees are protected wherever they go. But I would be remiss if I
did not express my concern on the number of trips that the Secret
Service today has had to make on outings for entertainment, Mar-a-Lago,
which I think is over 100 times, and the enormous amount of money and
burden that is being placed on the Federal Government.
This does not mean that I do not want these individuals to be
compensated. And might I stop for a moment to thank the Secret Service,
who I have known and have seen working over the years that I have
served in the United States Congress in many different ways. Let me
personally thank them for their service and for their professional
service, dedicated service, and longstanding service and commitment to
sacrificing their life for their protectee.
I would say that this problem often requires individuals to work over
the amount of premium pay, for which they are able to be legally paid,
due to the annual cap. We have seen the extent to which Secret Service
members are stretched in this administration alone. Providing
protection for the President, his family members, and other high
officials requires depth within the agency to ensure protectees are
covered as well as their respective posts when pulled away. As I made
the point, these various family members and President go in many ways
off of the path of their government service related to the people of
the United States.
It is my hope that we are able to eventually work collaboratively on
a more permanent fix to this problem since the Secret Service cannot
administratively control protective overtime, which is dependent on the
schedules of the protectees. Raising the pay cap will aid the Secret
Service in reducing attrition rates and retaining personnel, which is
what this bill purports to do. I truly want to make sure that happens.
Exit interview data indicates the pay cap issue is the number one
concern among employees leaving the Secret Service. We must ensure that
we are employing the best available candidates when dealing with the
protection of America's highest diplomats. Therefore, pay should not be
a deterrence in the recruitment and/or retention of Secret Service
agents, and it is crucial that we retain them.
Departing employees said raising the pay cap would have had an effect
on their decision to leave, and they would have stayed. They are
leaving the Secret Service for other positions in the Federal
Government with equal pay and less travel.
The U.S. Secret Service is currently protecting a historic number of
protectees--about 25 percent more protectees--than during the Obama
administration. In comparison to the previous five Presidential
administrations--Bush 41 to Obama--for the first 6 months in office,
Trump administration Secret Service protectees had more travel stops
and travel days than any other President.
As such, the operational tempo for protective activities have
remained higher than normal. Protective overtime hours for special
agents are about 15 to 20 percent higher when compared to CY 2015, the
last non-Presidential campaign year.
For CY 2017, as of 9-30-17, the Secret Service anticipates
approximately 1,200 personnel will exceed the statutory pay cap.
The costs related to protective overtime in excess of the pay cap for
CY 2017 is estimated at $10.5 million. The same costs are projected for
2018, if the protective tempo remains unchanged.
I, therefore, support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the
same. Any way that we can help protect the protectees, and keep these
well-experienced, committed, dedicated agents, willing to sacrifice
their lives, from leaving, so that we can also recruit, is a vital step
forward. I hope not only is this bill passed by the House, but I also
hope passed quickly by the Senate to be able to be signed by the
President of the United States.
Ensuring that our men and women, who put their lives on the line
daily, are protected is an important initiative. I am proud to be an
original co-sponsor along with my colleague Mr. Katko from New York.
``The Secret Service Recruitment and Retention Act of 2017'' is
intended to provide overtime pay for employees of the United States
Secret Service.
Currently, the premium pay for protective services under the
``Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of 2016'' has severe earning
limitations, or otherwise caps, which many of these men and women have
reached.
Due to earnings limitations put in place through 5 U.S.C. 5547, many
Secret Service employees are not receiving timely or full payment for
the hours they work.
The requirements of protective operations directly contrast with the
intent of an annual pay cap, as the protective mission requires
continued, uninterrupted coverage for our protectees, beyond the
control of the United States Secret Service.
This often requires individuals to work over the amount of premium
pay for which they are able to be legally paid due to the annual cap.
We have seen the extent to which the Secret Service members are
stretched in this administration alone. Providing protection for the
President, his family members and other high officials require depth
within the agency to ensure protectees are covered as well as their
respective posts when pulled away.
It is my hope that we are able to eventually work collaboratively on
a more permanent fix to this problem since the Secret Service cannot
administratively control protective overtime, which is dependent on the
schedules of the protectees.
Raising the pay cap will aid the Secret Service in reducing attrition
rates and retaining personnel, which is what this bill purports to do.
Exit interview data indicates the pay cap issue is the number #1
concern among employees leaving the Secret Service. We must ensure that
we are employing the best available candidates when dealing with the
protection of America's highest diplomats. Therefore, pay should not be
deterrence in the recruitment and/or retention of Secret Service
agents.
Departing employees said raising the pay cap would have had an effect
on their decision to leave the agency. (They are leaving the Secret
Service for other positions in the federal government with equal pay
and less travel.)
The USSS is currently protecting a historical high number of
protectees--about 25 percent more protectees than during the Obama
Administration.
In comparison to the previous five presidential administrations (Bush
41 to Obama), for the first six months in office, Trump Administration
Secret Service protectees had more travel stops and travel days than
any other.
[[Page H9635]]
As such, the operational tempo for protective activities has remained
higher than normal. Protective overtime hours for special agents are
about 15 to 20 percent higher when compared to CY 2015--the last non-
presidential campaign year.
For CY 2017, as of 9/30/17, the Secret Services anticipates
approximately 1,200 personnel will exceed the statutory pay cap.
The costs related to protective overtime in excess of the pay cap for
CY 2017 is estimated at $10.5 million. The same costs are projected for
CY 2018, if the protective tempo remains unchanged.
I therefore, support this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, we must do everything we can to protect our United
States Secret Service personnel and ensure an effective process for
recruitment and retention of these agents.
These agents play a vital role in our democratic system both here at
home and abroad. Their keen attention to details and adequate response
to dangerous situations around the world cannot be measured in dollar
signs.
Beyond protecting the President, Vice-President, their families and
other identified individuals, the Secret Service plays a vital role in
representing the United States interest around the world through
criminal investigation activities that span the gamut from anti-
counterfeiting operations to now encompassing financial crimes,
identity theft, counterfeiting, computer fraud, and computer-based
attacks on the nation's financial, banking, and telecommunications
infrastructure, among other areas.
For all these reasons, I therefore, support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Katko), my good friend, and sponsor of the bill.
Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3731,
the Secret Service Recruitment and Retention Act of 2017, because I
believe in the need to pay the hardworking men and women of the United
States Secret Service for the critical work that they perform in
dedication to the security of America's leaders.
While most Americans know the Secret Service for its role in
protecting the President and First Family, many are unaware of the
additional substantial roles and countless hours worked by special
agents, uniformed division officers, technical personnel, and
intelligence professionals. These jobs require extensive travel, often
on short notice, as well as sometimes working multiple weeks in a row
without a day off, because the security of our Nation's leaders depend
on our constant vigilance.
This legislation demonstrates an important recognition of the men and
women who wake up every day to dedicate their lives to the protection
of America's leadership and financial systems. This agency has
struggled to improve employee morale in recent years, due, in large
part, to strict overtime pay caps that prevent adequate compensation
for their work. It is very common, nowadays, in the Secret Service for
agents, starting as early as June, to be working multiple hours a week
of overtime, and sometimes as many as over 100 hours a month for free
because they have reached the cap.
This, in turn, leads to challenges in retention and recruitment,
further exacerbating staffing shortages. In 2017, the agency estimates
that 1,200 employees at Secret Service will exceed the statutory pay
cap, losing approximately $10 million in overtime pay, unless we, in
Congress, step up.
I wish to thank each of the bipartisan cosponsors for their support
of this bill, which took the cooperation of multiple committees to
bring to the floor. And I want to thank my colleague, Ms. Jackson Lee,
for her continued support on bipartisan measures. It is a sign that
when you join hands across the aisle, good things can happen.
In particular, I thank Chairman Goodlatte of the Judiciary Committee
for bringing this legislation up today, as well as Chairman Gowdy and
Ranking Member Cummings of the Oversight and Government Reform
Committee for their support. I also thank my colleague, Mr. Rutherford,
for managing this bill on the floor today. And I thank Chairman McCaul,
Ranking Member Thompson, and Ranking Member Watson Coleman of the
Homeland Security Committee for their recognition of this legislation's
importance to the Secret Service and for their support.
Further, I would like to explicitly thank two staffers who were truly
instrumental in coordinating the movement of this bill: Kevin Ortiz of
the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Robert Parmiter of
the Judiciary Committee.
Mr. Speaker, this bill provides overdue relief to an agency whose
dedication knows no bounds. As we enjoy this holiday season, I can
think of no better Christmas gift to the hardworking men and women at
the Secret Service than the fair compensation that is owed to them for
their hard work in securing our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, for this reason, I strongly urge all of my colleagues to
support this bill, and I urge the Senate to quickly take up and pass
this bill.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Nadler), the ranking member of the House Judiciary
Committee.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3731. This bill would raise
the cap on overtime pay for Secret Service agents through next year.
These agents pursue the unique dual role of the Secret Service, which
consists of protective and investigative functions. Secret Service
agents are most commonly known for their role in protecting the
President, Vice President, their families, and other dignitaries. Their
duties, however, also involve rotations into units that investigate
threats against our financial system, certain types of identity theft,
and related cybercrimes.
This bill before us today is before us because the demands on these
agents have increased significantly under the Trump administration.
President Trump seems to travel to properties in Florida, New Jersey,
and Virginia almost every weekend, and the number of individuals in the
Trump administration under Secret Service protection has exceeded 40,
in comparison to just over 30 under the Obama administration.
Protective overtime hours for special agents are 15 to 20 percent
higher than those during the last non-Presidential campaign year.
Because of the increased workload, many Secret Service personnel will
hit the statutory pay cap this year, and next. This bill would raise
the cap through calendar year 2018. This change is necessary to allow
Secret Service agents to be compensated for the extraordinary rigors
and time demands placed upon them as they work diligently to fulfill
their critical mission. The adjustment is necessary for the retention
of well-trained agents and the recruitment of new ones.
I also note that the bill would require GAO to conduct a study of the
Secret Service's implementation of recommendations concerning training
and personnel made 3 years ago by the Secret Service Mission Panel.
Congress will benefit from receiving a progress report on this effort.
The various provisions of this bill will help make the Secret Service
a more effective agency in pursuing its dual mission.
Mr. Speaker, I, therefore, support H.R. 3731 and ask that my
colleagues do the same.
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Jody B. Hice), who is a member of the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform.
Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman
for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, we all know that the United States Secret Service is one
of the Federal Government's premier law enforcement agencies.
The agency's critical mission is to protect the President, his
family, and other senior government officials. Agency personnel may
also provide protection at high-profile events. It has a zero-fail
mission; therefore, it is vital that the Secret Service is fully
staffed with nothing but the best.
Unfortunately, the agency has faced tremendous staffing problems. The
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a bipartisan
report in 2015, finding the Secret Service has faced challenges related
to hiring and retaining personnel.
[[Page H9636]]
{time} 1245
The report states that the staffing crisis threatens to jeopardize
its critical mission. Staffing issues have persisted, although the
agency has implemented a series of reforms to help get its hiring and
attrition problems under control.
The consequence of these hiring and attrition problems is that the
agency does not have enough personnel to fulfill its zero fail
protective mission. This means existing personnel are working excessive
overtime.
With all the overtime, many Secret Service personnel have reached the
cap on premium pay set in law. As a result, agents are not paid for
overtime hours if doing so would result in compensation above the cap
during any biweekly pay period. These max-outs, as they are known,
contribute to the agency's low morale and unsurprisingly cause the rate
of attrition to spike.
Congress first lifted the pay cap for the Secret Service in 2016 to
help the agency handle the demands of staffing the Presidential
campaign. However, nearly 1,300 employees are at risk of exceeding the
pay cap in 2017.
Due to the extraordinary staffing problems facing the agency, this
bill extends the pay cap waiver provided last year until the end of
2018. Employees will receive compensation up to the basic pay currently
given to members of the Executive Schedule, Level II.
Every Secret Service employee who has exceeded the cap or who is at
risk of doing so because of excessive overtime will receive additional
compensation under this bill.
I want to be clear. This bill is narrowly targeted to fix a problem
currently facing the agency and does so in a timely manner.
The Secret Service cannot continue to rely on expensive overtime, and
Congress fully expects the agency to get its hiring attrition problems
under control. To this end, the bill also requires a report by the
Government Accountability Office focused on the Secret Service's
implementation of recommendations found in the 2014 Protective Mission
Panel report.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentleman from Georgia.
Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the recommendations, which
include reforming the recruiting and hiring process, hiring additional
personnel, and implementing a zero tolerance disciplinary system, are
instructive and will help the Secret Service develop a world class
human resource system.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to thank the House Judiciary
Committee, the Homeland Security Committee, along with the Oversight
and Government Reform Committee on putting forth this important
legislation and bringing it to the floor in a timely manner.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the extra time and I urge all Members to
support this bill.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Cummings), the chairman and ranking member of the
Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and
I rise to support H.R. 3731, the Secret Service Recruitment and
Retention Act of 2017, which Congressman Katko and I cosponsored.
The bill would authorize an increase in the annual salary and the
overtime limit for the men and women of the Secret Service so they can
be paid for the significant overtime they have already worked in 2017
and will be working in 2018.
Last year, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
unanimously passed the Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of
2016. The bill authorized overtime pay for more than 1,400 Secret
Service agents and the thousands of hours they worked in the 2016
Presidential campaign year.
Although non-campaign years are usually significantly less demanding,
the size of President Trump's family, their frequent travel, and the
need to secure their multiple residences have caused more than 1,000
Secret Service agents to reach the annual pay cap in 2017. These
demands on the Secret Service will remain extremely high and require
substantial resources.
In December 2015, the Oversight Committee unanimously adopted a
report concluding that the Secret Service``. . . is experiencing a
staffing crisis that threatens to jeopardize its critical mission.''
Our report found that this was due in large part to ``. . .
significant cuts imposed by the Budget Control Act of 2011.''
The report recommended that Congress ensure that the Secret Service
has sufficient funds to restore staffing to the required levels.
Providing this much-needed overtime pay relief is an essential step
towards fulfilling the committee's recommendation. The hardworking men
and women of the Secret Service put their lives on the line every day
and make tremendous personal sacrifices for our country.
We cannot expect the Secret Service to recruit and retain the best of
the best and be the elite of the elite if they are not even being
compensated for the hours that are demanded of them.
Congress has a responsibility to provide the resources they need. I
am proud to join my colleagues in this bipartisan effort to do just
that, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I have no other Members to speak on this
bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Let me acknowledge Mr. Cummings for his leadership on this
legislation. I believe the combination of Members who are sponsoring
this legislation and the work of the Oversight and Government Reform,
Homeland Security, and Judiciary Committees clearly speak to almost the
crisis of the issue and what we are dealing with.
As we come to a close, Mr. Speaker, I am hoping that my colleagues
will vote for this legislation in resounding numbers and I hope that
the Senate will hotline this legislation so that it can immediately get
to the desk of the President.
I would also ask that we recognize that we must do everything we can
to protect our United States Secret Service personnel and ensure an
effective process for recruitment and retention of these agents.
I am glad there is an element in this legislation that will allow for
a review of all of these issues and that the Congress will have a role
in assessing how we can work with the Secret Service agency to improve
its performance, its retention, and certainly to say to those
hardworking agents that we appreciate them, by way of compensation.
These agents play a vital role in our democratic system both here at
home and abroad. Their keen attention to details and adequate response
to dangerous situations around the world cannot be measured in dollar
signs.
Beyond protecting the President, Vice President, their families, and
other identified individuals, the Secret Service plays a vital role in
representing the United States' interests around the world through
criminal investigation activities that span the gamut from
anticounterfeiting operations to now encompassing financial crimes;
identity theft, which has exponentially grown in the United States;
counterfeiting; computer fraud; and computer-based attacks on the
Nation's financial, banking, and telecommunications infrastructure,
among other areas.
Congress is standing up to make its voice known and to make
appropriate changes.
I think it is appropriate for the administration in this instance,
the Commander in Chief, to stand up as well and review the extensive
travel and the burdens that are being placed on the Secret Service
agents and their families. They are not complaining, but I think it
behooves any good leader to look at what can be improved and what can
be corrected in order to ensure the astuteness, the excellence, and the
safety and security of the protectees and those agents who are out
there on the line sacrificing or willing to sacrifice their life.
For all of these reasons, I therefore support this bill. Mr. Speaker,
I ask my colleagues to vote for this legislation, H.R. 3731, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
[[Page H9637]]
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Texas for helping
to bring this bill to the floor today. I congratulate my good friend
from New York, Mr. Katko, on this legislation. It is going to be very
important to our men and women of the Secret Service who put their
lives on the line every day in dedication to their service.
Mr. Speaker, I want to encourage all of my colleagues to support H.R.
3731, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I support the passage of H.R. 3731 today
to strengthen the resolve of our men and women in the Secret Service to
continue performing their essential duties in protecting the President
while receiving the appropriate compensation for their efforts which go
beyond normal working hours. This legislation ensures that a pay cap is
no longer a barrier to paying Secret Service agents who stand watch at
all hours of the night, often racking up significant overtime. The
current pay cap restricts the Secret Service from paying their
employees what is due to them.
Director Alles believes this legislation to be such an important
initiative to pass that he personally came to discuss it with me as
Chairman of the Judiciary Committee with oversight of the Secret
Service. I am glad that we are, in a bipartisan way, enabling the men
and women of the Secret Service to now receive the necessary
compensation for the significant overtime work they perform.
The GAO reporting requirement in the legislation will also provide to
Congress important analysis of how well the Secret Service has
implemented the recommendations of the Protective Mission Panel.
Knowing these results will help in conducting crucial oversight of the
agency.
I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3731, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________