Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of 2023

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RASKIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise to support S. 3427, the Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act. The legislation would see to it that Secret Service agents who work overtime get paid for the time they have worked.

The bill authorizes an extension of the Secret Service's current pay cap level of level II of the Executive Schedule through 2028 so that agents are permitted to receive compensation for the hours of overtime they work. Without this legislation, the pay of Secret Service agents would be capped at GS-15 level.

The Presidential campaign years place great challenges and strain on Secret Service personnel. According to the most recent data available, in 2022, nearly 1,600 agents worked so many hours that they maxed out their annual overtime in salary.

The amount of overtime worked resulted, on average, in more than $11,000 per agent.

This bill also includes extensive reporting requirements, including both quarterly and annual reporting on the number of individuals receiving overtime and estimates for future years.

This will help keep the agency focused on its personnel management problem, and keep Congress informed on the issue and funding needs of the agency.

This elevated pay cap for Secret Service agents has been in place since 2016. While the agency has made some progress in recruiting, this is, in essence, a management problem. The Secret Service must be able to pay its people in order to attract and retain the best talent that is available. The Secret Service needs to hire more people to reduce its heavy overtime expenses.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. RASKIN. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source