H.R. 8844

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8844 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8844

To correct the inequitable denial of enhanced retirement and annuity 
benefits to certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 15, 2026

Mr. Fitzpatrick (for himself and Mr. Golden of Maine) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland 
Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To correct the inequitable denial of enhanced retirement and annuity 
benefits to certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
Officer Retirement Technical Corrections Act''.

SEC. 2. ADJUSTMENT RELATED TO TRANSITION RULES.

(a) Defined Term.--In this section the term ``Eligible Individual'' 
means any individual who--
(1) received a tentative offer of employment as a U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection Officer before July 6, 2008; and
(2) entered into duty as a U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection officer on or after July 6, 2008, as a result of an 
offer described in paragraph (1).
(b) Treatment of Eligible Individuals.--Eligible Individuals--
(1) are considered to be individuals serving as U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection Officers on July 6, 2008, for 
purposes of section 535(e) of the Department of Homeland 
Security Appropriations Act, 2008 (division E of Public Law 
110-161; 121 Stat. 1844); and
(2) are entitled to--
(A) the minimum annuity amount required under 
section 535(e)(2)(C) of such Act; and
(B) an exemption from mandatory retirement 
otherwise required under section 8425(b)(1) of title 5, 
United States Code.
(c) Implementation.--
(1) Submission of information.--Not later than 120 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Homeland Security shall--
(A) create a list of all Eligible Individuals;
(B) notify each Eligible Individual of the annuity 
correction described in subsection (b); and
(C) provide the Director of the Office of Personnel 
Management with all of the information that is 
necessary for making annuity corrections with respect 
to Eligible Individuals.
(2) Completion of annuity correction.--After receiving the 
information described in paragraph (1)(C), the Director of the 
Office of Personnel Management shall make the annuity 
correction described in subsection (b) with respect to each 
Eligible Individual, including a retroactive annuity adjustment 
for Eligible Individuals who retired before the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
(d) Waivers and Guidance.--
(1) Waivers.--The Secretary of Homeland Security may 
retroactively waive the maximum entry age requirement under 
3307(g) of title 5, United States Code, to the extent 
necessary, to ensure that each Eligible Individual is eligible 
for immediate retirement with the annuity correction described 
in subsection (b).
(2) Guidance.--The Director of the Office of Personnel 
Management, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, shall issue appropriate guidance to assist in the 
implementation of the annuity correction described in 
subsection (b).
(e) Government Accountability Office.--The Comptroller General of 
the United States--
(1) shall review U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
(referred to in this subsection as ``CBP'') hiring practices, 
policies, and procedures related to eligibility for enhanced 
retirement benefits referred to in this section by assessing--
(A) the process for determining whether an employee 
qualifies for such benefits, including considering any 
potential factors that would make an employee 
ineligible for such enhanced retirement benefits;
(B) the internal controls used by CBP to ensure 
that all eligible employees, and only eligible 
employees, receive such enhanced retirement benefits;
(C) the policies regarding the use of employees' 
personnel files to ensure compliance with current laws 
governing retirement benefits; and
(D) the adequacy of the training provided to CBP 
senior executives regarding human resources and hiring 
practices at CBP; and
(2) not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, shall submit a report that describes the 
results of the review conducted pursuant to paragraph (1) to--
(A) the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 
of Representatives; and
(C) the Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform of the House of Representatives.
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