The House has passed a fiscal 2008 DHS appropriations bill calling for inspector general review of Secure Border Initiative contracts valued at over $20 million, additional procurement training for acquisition employees including the establishment of a procurement training council, and extending law enforcement officer status to certain Customs and Border Protection employees for retirement purposes.
The White House took issue with much of the bill and said it has "serious concerns about granting LEO status to CBP employees, adding that the provision "has significant cost implications" and stating its view that the CBP employees do not qualify for the extra retirement benefits.
Additionally, HR-1684 would require the chief human capital officer to come up with a plan to address the under-representation of minorities, calls on the secretary to conduct a departmental review of security and suitability review procedures and would establish a chief security officer.
The bill also would direct the secretary to control hiring, training and deployment costs for new border patrol agents, as well as assess the personnel, infrastructure, and technology required to reduce border crossing wait times to pre-9-11 levels.
