The Committee on House Administration unanimously advanced H.R. 8364, a bipartisan bill to increase the retirement age for United States Capitol Police officers, according to an April 22 announcement.
This measure is seen as a response to growing concerns about safety at the Capitol and aims to help retain experienced law enforcement personnel during a period of heightened threats against lawmakers and staff.
Chairman Bryan Steil said, "At a time when threats against lawmakers and staff are at a record high, it's important we give USCP the flexibility they need to keep visitors, staff, and lawmakers safe. No officer should be forced to retire when they can still do the job. I'm grateful to Ranking Member Morelle for his collaboration on this important legislation." Ranking Member Joe Morelle added, "The men and women of the United States Capitol Police have one of the most important and challenging jobs in the Legislative Branch. The Department cannot afford to lose a substantial number of experienced, fully capable officers solely because they reach an arbitrary age threshold. This is a prudent, targeted step to preserve experience, maintain staffing, and help ensure the Department has the workforce it needs. For those reasons, I supported the bill."
Under current law, sworn officers must retire at age 57 unless granted a waiver by the Capitol Police Board that allows them to work until age 60. H.R. 8364 would raise this maximum waived retirement age from 60 up to 65 years old. Nearly sixty sworn officers are currently working under such waivers—a number greater than two typical recruitment classes for USCP.
According to the official website, the House Administration Committee has enhanced security measures in response to events like September 11 attacks and January 6 incident at the Capitol. The committee is part of joint committees on Library and Printing within Congress according to its official site. It oversees House operations including federal elections and security as reported by its website.
Additionally, the committee's jurisdiction covers federal elections nationwide as well as congressional contests across states; it serves as one of Congress’s standing committees focusing on administrative matters according to its official information. The committee also played an instrumental role in passing major legislation such as Help America Vote Act in 2002 that allocated over $3 billion toward improving voting systems nationwide according to its website.
The proposed legislation will now move forward for consideration by the full House of Representatives.
