Other Provisions in DHS Bill

By: fedweek

The DHS measure also contains several other personnel provisions, including a bar on furloughing Federal Protective Service workers pending a GAO review and congressional hearings on a FPS reorganization plan. The administration said that it has no plans to furlough or RIF FPS employees and that the provisions, along with new reporting requirements, would delay a needed restructuring. The bill also would allow DHS’s Customs and Border Protection division to rehire annuitants without the usual offset between their salaries and their annuities; the White House also opposes that provision, urging that Congress adopt its proposal to allow more re-employment of annuitants without offsets government-wide, but with restrictions on how many hours they could work. The bill also includes—and the White House also opposes, on policy and cost grounds—a provision to grant law enforcement officer status for purposes of special retirement provisions to CBP officers whose duties include inspection for compliance with customs, immigration or agriculture laws.