I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1881
To modify the rate of basic pay and the classification of positions for certain
United States Border Patrol agents, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 20, 1999
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas (for herself and Mr. REYES) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and
in addition to the Committee on Government Reform, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned
A BILL
To modify the rate of basic pay and the classification of
positions for certain United States Border Patrol agents,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Border Patrol Recruit-
ment and Retention Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds as follows:
(1) The United States, being a nation of immi-
grants and a nation operating under laws and agree-
ments that establish immigration procedures by
which all Border Patrol agents must abide, should
authorize a step pay increase for its United States
Border Patrol agents after 1 year of service, in an
effort to better recruit and retain urgently needed
agents to safely guard the Nation’s borders.
(2) The United States Border Patrol performs
critical work, and its agents are assigned duties that
involve considerable risks and require unique talents
to protect the integrity of the borders of the United
States.
(3) The Immigration and Naturalization Serv-
ice, which is authorized to add a total of 5,000 addi-
tional border agents, at a rate of 1,000 per fiscal
year from fiscal year 1997 to fiscal year 2001, did
not request any additional agents in its proposed
budget for fiscal year 2000, despite being in dire
need of increasing its border patrol.
(4) Due to poor recruitment and retention of
United States Border Patrol agents, 7 classes at the
Academy have already been canceled and less than
400 agents are currently in training. At this rate,
training of agents would still fail to meet the fiscal
year 1999 and fiscal year 2000 budget requests re-
lating to the addition of Border Patrol agents.
(5) There is a real need to increase the border
patrol along the Southwest border, in States such as
Texas, Arizona, California, and New Mexico. Such
an increase is necessary and proper.
SEC. 3. BORDER PATROL AGENT PAY AND CLASSIFICATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Any Border Patrol agent classi-
fied as a GS–1896 position who completes a 1-year period
of service at a GS–9 grade and whose current rating of
record is fully successful or higher shall be classified at
a GS–11 grade and receive pay at the minimum rate of
basic pay for a GS–11 position.
(b) NONREDUCTION.—Subsection (a) shall not be
construed to—
(1) limit or reduce the rate of pay of any Bor-
der Patrol agent; or
(2) reclassify a Border Patrol agent at a lower
classification of position.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect
on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning
on or after the later of—
(1) October 1, 1999; or
(2) 120 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
SEC. 4. OFFICE OF BORDER PATROL RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Commissioner of
the Immigration and Naturalization Service shall establish
an Office of Border Patrol Recruitment and Retention
within the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
(b) FUNCTIONS.—The Office of Border Patrol Re-
cruitment and Retention shall—
(1) develop outreach programs to identify and
recruit prospective Border Patrol agents;
(2) develop programs to retain Border Patrol
agents; and
(3) submit recommendations to the Commis-
sioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Serv-
ice relating to pay and benefits of Border Patrol
agents.
(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 150 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commissioner
of the Immigration and Naturalization Service shall sub-
mit a report to the Congress on the establishment and
activities of the Office of Border Patrol Recruitment and
Retention.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000
for fiscal year 2000 and such sums as may be necessary
for each fiscal year thereafter to carry out this Act.
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