[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8999]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE, POSTAL INSPECTORS EQUITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEPHEN F. LYNCH

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 24, 2010

  Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, the United States Postal Service, Postal 
Inspectors Equity Act, is intended to allow postal inspectors to 
receive full law enforcement availability pay (LEAP) comparable to 
criminal investigators of other executive branch agencies. Postal 
inspectors protect the U.S. Postal Service, its employees and its 
customers from criminal attack, and protect the nation's mail system 
from criminal misuse.
  Under current law, compensation and benefits for postal inspectors 
are required to ``be maintained on a standard of comparability to the 
compensation and benefits paid for comparable levels of work in the 
executive branch of the Government outside of the Postal Service.'' See 
Title 39, U.S.C. 1003(c). Currently, the Postal Service is paying 
postal inspectors LEAP, but such payments are not statutorily required.
  As written, the bill will require the Postal Service to pay postal 
inspectors LEAP pursuant to statute. The United States Postal Service, 
Postal Inspectors Equity Act will amend Title 5, U.S.C. 5545a to define 
postal inspectors as law enforcement officers eligible to receive LEAP. 
The bill will preserve and protect postal inspectors' law enforcement 
availability pay and ensure that the Postal Inspection Service will be 
able to recruit and retain highly qualified postal inspectors.

                          ____________________