# U.S. Park Police Modernization Act

This bill changes how U.S. Park Police officers get paid raises based on their years of service. Right now, officers move through multiple pay steps over many years before reaching their top salary. This bill speeds up that process and restructures how the pay ladder works.

Currently, officers can take up to nine years or more to reach their maximum pay at certain ranks. The bill condenses this timeline by reducing the number of steps and changing how long officers wait between raises. For example, new officers would get their first raise after one year instead of waiting longer, and the time between later raises would be shortened from what it currently is. The goal is to get experienced officers to their top pay faster, which could help with recruitment and retention by showing officers they'll see meaningful salary increases sooner in their careers.

The bill also adjusts the pay structure for higher-ranking positions like lieutenants, captains, inspectors, and chiefs. These officers would see changes in when they reach certain salary milestones, though the bill includes protections to ensure no one's pay gets cut. The changes take effect immediately once the bill becomes law, and any previous pay adjustments made before the law passes are essentially wiped clean and replaced with this new system.

For the average person, this mainly affects U.S. Park Police officers who patrol national parks and federal monuments. The bill doesn't change how much money the government spends overall on salaries—it just redistributes when officers receive their raises throughout their careers. It's essentially saying that instead of waiting a decade to reach top pay, officers will get there faster, which supporters argue makes the job more attractive and helps keep experienced officers from leaving for other law enforcement agencies.

U.S. Park Police Modernization Act

Hice, Jody B.

U.S. Park Police Modernization Act This bill revises the pay scale that applies to officers and members of the U.S. Park Police by reducing the number of, and the time between, pay grade steps.