More Border Patrol Agents Now Act of 2006

MORE BORDER PATROL AGENTS NOW ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - September 26, 2006)

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6160, the More Border Patrol Agents Now Act of 2006. This legislation will help Border Patrol put agents along our Nation's borders now, quickly and cost efficiently.

Securing our Nation's borders is an issue that ranks at the top of the list for many Americans. The President has responded by committing at least 6,000 new Border Patrol agents on our borders over the next 2 years. I wholeheartedly support this commitment, and the provisions in my bill will help us reach this goal.

Shockingly, the Border Patrol statistics show that an average of 33 applicants must be vetted before just one is hired. This means that 66,000 applicants must be screened before just 2,000 new agents are hired.

In addition, Border Patrol typically loses 700 agents annually to retirements and other law enforcement agencies. My bill addresses these personnel challenges.

First, it provides the Secretary of Homeland Security with the authority to pay recruitment and retention bonuses. Second, it allows the Border Patrol to rehire recently retired agents.

From the outset, my bill's incentives will encourage highly qualified individuals to become career Border Patrol agents; and once we make these investments to train each agent, we should also make sure these new agents are not recruited away by other law enforcement agencies. Therefore, retention bonuses are essential to maintaining a premier workforce.

My legislation also provides authority to the Secretary to rehire retired Border Patrol agents. While some agents hired recently will be able to work until age 60, current law requires most agents to retire at age 57. At a time when the American public is calling for a larger, stronger Border Patrol, it is wrong to overlook this talent pool. After all, most of these retired officers can provide cost-effective and valuable expertise almost immediately.

These officers could not only manage field operations and oversee agents, but also could serve as instructors. This provision would ensure the invaluable experience of knowledge of these retired agents is brought back to the field instead of going unused.

Mr. Speaker, I have toured the southwest border twice and visited the Border Patrol Training Academy in Artesia, New Mexico. I have heard firsthand about these personnel concerns from Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar and from the National Border Patrol Council.

This legislation has been crafted to directly and immediately address the Border Patrol's concerns. I am proud to note that the National Border Patrol Council has endorsed the legislation as well. The National Border Patrol Council president, T.J. Bonner, wrote: ``The council strongly supports this legislation and urges the United States House of Representatives to enact it swiftly in order to provide the Border Patrol with some of the essential tools that it needs in order to be able to recruit and retain well-qualified individuals to help secure our borders,'' and I include the entire letter for the RECORD.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I too want to recognize and thank my colleague from Florida. He has been a real ally in this effort to make sure that our Border Patrol have the resources they need and work in a very cordial and bipartisan way. I appreciate him.

I do want to acknowledge his concern over Border Patrol officers. I share that. It is my hope that as soon as we can get this agent issue behind us that we can turn our attention to try to make sure that these officer ranks are swelled as well.

But the thing that I want to most emphasize with my colleagues in the House is that with this legislation and with our circumstance on the border and the understaffing, time is of the essence; and so I urge my colleagues to favorably consider this legislation and vote ``aye.''

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