Dear Representative Weber and Cartwright,
I am writing on behalf of the members of the Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of our support for H.R. 3199, the “Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act.”
According to the Office of the Inspector General in the U.S. Department of Justice, the shortage of correctional officers has grown each year, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 7% decline in Federal correctional officers by 2032.
Your legislation would address the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) staffing and retention issues by increasing locality pay rates for employees located within 200 miles of an established Federal locality pay area. This will increase the salary of such BOP employees, improving recruitment and retention of new and veteran BOP employees in these difficult-to-staff facilities.
On behalf of the more than 373,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, I thank you for your leadership and for offering a potential solution to the understaffing problem in our nation’s Federal correctional facilities. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in our Washington office.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President
cc: Karla Pruneda, President, Texas State Lodge
Joe Regan, President, Pennsylvania State Lodge
Frank Plowick, National Trustee, Texas State Lodge
John Fiorill, National Trustee, Pennsylvania State Lodge