U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today reintroduced the Law Enforcement Officer Fair Retirement Act to ensure federal police and first responders are paid the full compensation they have earned. Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE-02), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), and Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11) are original cosponsors.

Despite the demanding nature of their jobs, overtime compensation for federal police is often restricted due to a technicality under current law. Rep. Pascrell’s legislation will fix this problem by allowing officers to elect to have the Office of Personnel Management consider the full value of overtime compensation accrued in calculating their CSRS/FERS retirement annuity. This would ensure all overtime hours worked are counted when calculating retirement benefits for federal law enforcement officers.

“Our federal police and first responders have one of the toughest jobs in the country. They put their lives on the line every day and night they don the uniform – and even when they’re off-duty,” said Rep. Pascrell, the longtime co-chairman of the Law Enforcement Caucus. “It is unconscionable that an officer serving overtime does not get full retirement compensation. Our bill will finally fix this technicality so that a federal officer receives every cent they’ve earned.”

“Our Federal law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect our communities every day, and they deserve to be fully compensated for their service,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “Now more than ever, law enforcement officers need our full support in their retirement security. I’m proud to introduce this important, bipartisan legislation that ensures we have the backs of our men and women in Federal law enforcement.”

“Federal law enforcement officers work around the clock to keep us safe, answering the call of duty day and night,” said Rep. Bacon. “The LEO Fair Retirement Act will ensure these hours count towards their retirement benefits, and I am glad to be a co-lead on these efforts to ensure we compensate our officers for their overtime work.”

“The current federal retirement system penalizes officers who work beyond their normal hours to ensure the safety and security of the American people. This has a negative impact on morale within law enforcement and disincentivizes dedicated service. The Law Enforcement Officer Fair Retirement Act would end this inequity by making an officer’s full salary fully creditable for retirement purposes,” said Larry Cosme, President, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA). “This is a small but significant step toward addressing a legacy of disparate treatment for federal law enforcement professionals. We applaud Representatives Pascrell, Bacon, Fitzpatrick, and Connolly for reintroducing this bill and supporting federal law enforcement.”

Rep. Pascrell is also the lead sponsor of the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act, legislation to provide enhanced retirement benefits to certain federal law enforcement officers not currently covered. The bill would expand and secure full federal benefits to tens of thousands of officers.