WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik joined Congressman Randy Weber (R-TX) in reintroducing the Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act.
The purpose of the legislation would allow BOP facilities otherwise classified as “Rest of the U.S.” jurisdictions to be included in a higher locality pay area as long as they fall within a 200-mile radius of an existing, higher-paying area. This will help compensate for the cost of living, commute times, and the hard work that staff at BOP facilities undertake every day.
“As the Representative of FCI Ray Brook, I am working to address the significant challenges our hardworking correctional officers are facing such as low staffing and retention issues," said Chairwoman Stefanik. "Our COs put their lives on the line every single day and I am committed to addressing their staffing, compensation, and retirement issues in Congress."
“Our correctional officers put their lives on the line day in and day out to keep our communities safe,” said Congressman Weber. “It’s time their pay reflects the seriousness of that responsibility. This commonsense bill ensures that correctional officers—whether they serve in Beaumont, Texas, or anywhere across this nation—are compensated fairly for the dangerous, essential work they perform every single day.”
Background:
Federal prisons located outside of established General Schedule locality pay areas fall in “Rest of U.S.” (RUS) locality pay. These facilities experience high levels of staff turnover and retirement, low morale, and increased mandatory overtime. Several of the BOP facilities classified as RUS are located within 200 miles of the nearest locality pay, meaning that these facilities are near enough to areas with higher cost of living, yet are unable to provide their workforce with wages that take into consideration cost of living and competitive pay opportunities located in comparable professional fields.
This results in understaffed prisons and overworked employees, creating a dangerous work environment for staff. Additionally, inmates are negatively impacted because there are not enough staff to supervise them, forcing prisons to scale back activities such as visitations, recreational time, and academic enrichment opportunities.
Read the bill here.
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