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Rejecting a White House proposal, a House subcommittee this week approved additional funding for enhanced retirement benefits for Customs and Border Protection officers.

The House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, taking up the fiscal 2009 Homeland Security appropriations bill, voted to grant $217 million to continue a law enforcement officer benefits program for CBP officers.

The enhanced retirement benefit, created last year and funded at a rate of $50 million, takes effect July 6. The subcommittee's approval of the funding shows its support for continuing the program.

The law passed last year places CBP officers in line for the retirement benefits many law enforcement officers already receive, allowing them to retire at age 50 after 20 years of service, or at any age after 25 years of service. Formerly, CBP officers were placed in the same category as regular federal employees, who are not eligible for retirement until they have 30 years or more of service and are at least 55 years old.

In his fiscal 2009 budget proposal, President Bush proposed repealing the enhanced retirement benefits, requesting no additional funding for the program. The administration claims that CBP officers do not meet the definition of law enforcement officers and therefore should be ineligible for the early retirement option granted to such officers.

But CBP has touted the enhanced benefits as a potential tool to boost recruitment and retention at the agency, which is plagued with low morale and high attrition. In fiscal 2007, the agency aimed to hire an additional 646 CBP officers, but actually had to bring a total of 2,327 on board to offset attrition.

Besides the retirement benefits, the bill also would provide funding for an additional 100 CBP agriculture specialists and 734 more CBP officers -- significantly more than the 539 proposed by President Bush.

Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said on Wednesday that CBP needed additional agricultural specialists and officers. She pointed to the bureau's most recent staffing model, which identified the need for an 4,000 more front-line employees at the nation's 327 ports of entry.

"Each of these provisions in the subcommittee markup is a major step forward not only for CBP and its employees, but for the security of our nation," Kelley said.

The bill also would limit funding for the implementation of a new personnel system at Homeland Security. A spokeswoman for NTEU said on Friday that details on the amount appropriated for the personnel system would not be available until after the full committee markup next week.

The funding limit for DHS' personnel overhaul -- the Human Capital Operational Plan -- follows similar action by Congress last year. In December, a catch-all funding bill for fiscal 2008 zeroed out funding for the system, providing only $10 million to DHS to help boost morale and other issues identified in a 2006 employee survey.

COMMENTS

• Said it before, but it's worth repeating: "Walks like a duck....." ANY federal uniformed officer with police powers (i.e. arrest authority, firearms carriage, etc.) is a LEO and should have 6c, period. Stop this nitpicking re who is really doing LEO work, throw out that stupid phrase about 'conducting investigations, blah, blah, blah' and do the right thing. Guess what, you'll get the younger, more vigorous workforce with 6c, not without it! US Customs Senior Inspector (Retired) Posted June 21, 2008 9:51 AM
• Maybe in the future we can get someone to take a good look at the 1811 6c job description. The public would get a huge bang for the buck if many CBP Officers and thier immediate supervisors were to cassified in this maner. However, it is hard to justify the work of many who now work for police agencies in the same manner. It's hard to believe that the classification has rolled up the chain of command to include those jobs that do not require the same "in harms way or phy's challenges". WEB Posted June 19, 2008 7:04 PM
• Okay, the National Guard is currently assisting the CBP in their work on the border. The Bush administration is planning on sending the Guard home on the 15th of July thus, seemingly, leaving the border seriously unprotected. Now they are fighting the granting of LEO status to the CBP and additional recruitment numbers of agents. He’s had the past 3 ½ years to get this right. It really appears that he doesn’t care. Now that he’s leaving office and having actually courted the illegal immigrant vote with a “reform” bill that many called amnesty; he appears to be abandoning a program which has actually worked. I REALLY hate to admit it but I must agree with Skeeter; if they are carrying weapons, engage in active pursuit, capture and control suspects, it sure seems like Law Enforcement duties to me. Still, I’ve seen numerous cases of questionable status jobs granted LEO status and pay as rewards; perhaps it is these that the administration is opposing? Regardless, this appears to deserve awarding if only on the benefit of doubt. They are our front line. Just looking back, the POTUS didn’t get his immigration reform law passed; DHS, ICE, and CBP appear to be in pretty poor shape, morale and attrition-wise; ports continue with only minimal cargo container inspection; they’re still fighting over chemical plant security requirements. So, how good is his track record after 9/11? I’ve heard numerous folks quote “Well, there’s been no terrorist acts since then.” And I must ask, “Is it due to his efforts?” Has the “conflict” stopped an/any invasion of our home soil? Despite what appears to be an obvious answer; these efforts just don’t seem effective or even connected to me. Tip off Posted June 17, 2008 10:01 AM