Description:
S. 1896 would clarify the treatment of law enforcement availability pay (LEAP) for federal air marshals and criminal investigators of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). A recent review of the relevant federal statutes by the Office of Personnel and Management (OPM) found that LEAP has been incorrectly applied to the retirement benefit calculations for certain TSA criminal investigators and federal air marshals, resulting in benefit payments that are higher than authorized under current law. S. 1896 would hold harmless the retirees and current employees who are affected by OPM’s findings and would clarify the treatment of LEAP for future retirees. CBO estimates that enacting S. 1896 would increase direct spending by $12 million over the 2019-2028 period. The largest components of that increase are higher retirement benefit payments for current and future retirees and the loss of the expected recovery of overpayments from retirees who have been receiving annuities higher than current law allows. The bill also would increase revenues by $1 million in 2020. Because enacting S. 1896 would affect direct spending and revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. CBO estimates that enacting S. 1896 would not increase net direct spending by more than $2.5 billion or on-budget deficits by more than $5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029. S. 1896 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
