Today, Mathew Silverman, National President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) – the nation’s largest non-partisan, non-for-profit professional association representing more than 32,000 federal law enforcement officers and agents across 65 federal agencies– issued the following statement regarding the signing of the Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of 2023 into law:
“FLEOA applauds Congress and the President for passing and signing into law the Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of 2023. This bill will ensure U.S. Secret Service agents receive compensation that matches the critical protective services they perform. This bill is especially critical as the Secret Service prepares to provide protective details throughout this year’s election season. Additionally, the pay cap waiver will enable the Secret Service to recruit and retain qualified personnel well into the future. We applaud Senators Graham, Klobuchar, Grassley and Coons, and Representatives Mark Green and Bennie Thompson, for their leadership on this issue,” FLEOA President Silverman said.
“The Secret Service undeniably needs this pay cap waiver to meet their mission needs. And while this law is a significant step toward ensuring U.S. Secret Service agents are appropriately compensated for their work, it is not the end of the road. The Secret Service is not the only federal law enforcement entity in need of pay improvements. Across federal law enforcement, agencies are struggling to recruit, retain, and adequately compensate their agents and officers due to pay caps that unfairly deprive law enforcement of their due,” Silverman continued.
“As state and local law enforcement organizations improve their pay packages, the federal government is losing qualified applicants and personnel at a faster rate than ever before. FLEOA will not stop working until all federal law enforcement agencies have the authority to properly compensate their workforce–whether that be through improvements to base pay, overtime pay cap waivers, or improved retirement benefits. That also includes ensuring all agents and officers who perform law enforcement functions are treated as ‘law enforcement’ and eligible for law enforcement compensation. Pay equity remains a key priority for FLEOA and we urge Congress to extend this bill’s protections to all federal law enforcement agencies that are negatively impacted by these caps,” Silverman concluded.