Strengthening Border Patrol Recruitment & Retention, Kelly and Sinema Introduce Bipartisan Legislation

Arizona Senators were joined by Republican Senators John Cornyn (Texas) & James Lankford (Okla.) to introduce the Border Patrol Pay Security Act

Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema partnered with Republican Senators John Cornyn (Texas) and James Lankford (Okla.) to introduce the bipartisan Border Patrol Pay Security Act. This bipartisan bill ensures Border Patrol agents are treated fairly regarding overtime pay, 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 challenges in the Border Patrol and improve border security.

“The hardworking men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol are frequently working overtime to keep our communities safe but don’t see the same pay benefits as other federal law enforcement. As we continue to deal with the crisis at our southern border, our legislation will improve border security by boosting the U.S. Border Patrol’s continued efforts to hire and retain talented agents,” said Senator Mark Kelly.

“Ensuring our Border Patrol Agents receive fair overtime pay strengthens recruitment and retention and helps keep our border secure. We’ll continue working across the aisle to support our Border Patrol and keep Arizona families and communities safe and secure,” said Sinema, Chair of the Senate Border Management Subcommittee.

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 overtime system on par with other federal law enforcement agencies. 

Kelly and Sinema secured major investments to secure and manage the border in the recently-passed Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law that Sinema co-wrote and negotiated and Kelly helped shape, makes historic border investments to land ports of entry that allow for more efficient cross-border trade to support Arizona jobs and allow Customs and Border Protection to better detect and stop criminal behavior.