Border Patrol Enhancement: Increased Staffing, Better Training, and Overtime Pay Changes.
This Act aims to significantly boost the number of Border Patrol agents and enhance their compensation and training standards. It introduces special overtime pay for GS-12 agents and mandates comprehensive annual training covering de-escalation, human rights, and handling vulnerable migrant populations. Citizens should see a border managed by a larger, better-trained workforce, potentially leading to improved security and adherence to civil rights standards.
Key points
Increased Agent Hiring: The Secretary of Homeland Security is authorized to hire at least 600 additional agents annually above attrition until staffing meets the level determined by an independent needs assessment.
Special Overtime Pay: GS-12 Border Patrol agents will receive a special overtime payment equal to 50% of their basic hourly rate for regularly scheduled overtime hours, though this pay does not count toward retirement benefits.
Mandatory Advanced Training: Agents must undergo annual training focused on non-lethal use of force, de-escalation techniques, protecting civil and property rights, and responding to vulnerable groups like children and trafficking victims.
Recruitment and Retention Studies: The law requires independent assessments of recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts, including a specific study on female agents and procedures for addressing sexual harassment.
Expired
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