Capitol Police Retirement Reform Act of 2026
HB8949, the Capitol Police Retirement Reform Act of 2026, would amend federal retirement law to count certain overtime pay earned by members of the United States Capitol Police as part of their “basic pay” for annuity calculations. The bill specifically covers overtime paid under the Fair Labor Standards Act, subject to a cap tied to a percentage of the annual overtime maximum for customs officers. It also sets a service requirement: a member generally must have completed at least 15 years of service before separation for some of the overtime pay to be treated as basic pay for retirement purposes.
The bill further provides that qualifying overtime pay earned after enactment would be included in calculations for Capitol Police annuities and survivor annuities, and it directs the Capitol Police to supply annual information to the Office of Personnel Management to help administer the change. In practical terms, the measure would increase retirement benefits for eligible Capitol Police officers by boosting the pay base used to compute pensions and related survivor benefits, while limiting the change to post-enactment overtime and to officers meeting the service threshold.
The bill would amend title 5 of the U.S. Code, primarily sections governing federal retirement and annuity computations, by adding a special rule for Capitol Police overtime pay. It would expand the definition of basic pay for certain retirement purposes, affect annuity calculations under the Civil Service Retirement System and related provisions, and require ongoing data sharing from the Capitol Police to the Office of Personnel Management. The affected parties are current and future members of the U.S. Capitol Police, their survivors, and the federal retirement administration system.
The available context shows no recorded committee debate or votes, so there is no direct evidence of opposition or support in the materials provided. Based on the bill’s subject matter and sponsor list, the measure appears to be a targeted retirement benefit enhancement for Capitol Police officers, which typically suggests a favorable or at least sympathetic posture toward the affected workforce. The absence of recorded controversy in the provided context indicates the bill was, at minimum, introduced without documented public dispute in the materials supplied.
The main policy issue is cost and eligibility. Supporters would likely favor recognizing overtime in retirement calculations as a recruitment, retention, and fairness measure for Capitol Police officers who work extended hours. Potential concerns would center on the fiscal impact on the federal retirement system, the precedent of expanding pensionable pay, and the bill’s limits—especially the 15-year service requirement and the cap on overtime that can be counted. No specific opposing arguments or named critics appear in the provided transcripts or vote history.