Sinema’s bill improves border security by ensuring agents receive fair pay for overtime work
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema introduced the Border Patrol Pay Security Act with Republican Senator John Cornyn (Texas). The Senators’ bipartisan bill ensures Border Patrol agents who work over 80 hours per week receive overtime pay at time and a half their normal rate, bringing the Border Patrol pay system into line with other federal law enforcement agencies. The Border Patrol Pay Security Act will help address recruitment and retention issues of Border Patrol Agents, and improve border security.
“Strengthening the Border Patrol’s recruitment and retention helps secure our border and keeps Arizonans safe and secure,” said Sinema.
The Border Patrol Pay Security Act fixes inequities in the current pay system by ensuring agents get paid traditional overtime when they work over 80 hours a week, putting the Border Patrol pay system on par with other federal law enforcement agencies which also get overtime pay.
As a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Sinema is working across the aisle to keep Arizona safe and address ongoing challenges at the border. In 2019, Sinema introduced the bipartisan CBP Hiring and Retention Innovation Act, which creates a Customs and Border Protection Innovation Council to improve the hiring and retention of Customs and Border Protection agents and officers. That bill passed the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on a bipartisan vote.