House Government Reform Committee chairman Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va. has said that reforming pay practices
for federal law enforcement officers is high on his agenda for the current Congress, following release
of a report last year showing that pay, overtime and other policies vary significantly among law
enforcement agencies, as well as by occupation and level. Agencies and individual employees have
complained for years about the complexities and inconsistencies of current policies. The issue is the
most acute at the Department of Homeland Security, which is trying to meld the legacy systems of the
numerous law enforcement operations it took over, although other agencies have complained as well, in
some cases arguing that under the current policies they find themselves in bidding wars with each
other.