To amend title 5, United States Code, to authorize the increase of the retirement age in the United States Capitol Police.
Click any stage to learn more about the legislative process.
Would raise the maximum age at which the Capitol Police Board can allow a Capitol Police officer to continue working beyond the standard mandatory retirement age — from 60 to 65 — giving the Board more flexibility to retain experienced officers.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend two sections of title 5 of the U.S. Code — covering both the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees' Retirement System — to expand the Capitol Police Board's authority to waive mandatory retirement for Capitol Police officers. Under both systems, the waiver cap would be raised from age 60 to age 65, while the existing floor of age 57 would remain unchanged. The Board would determine the specific retirement age within that range on a case-by-case basis.
The bill would not eliminate mandatory retirement or guarantee any officer the right to work until 65; it would only expand the upper bound of the Board's discretion to grant waivers. Officers not receiving a waiver would still be subject to mandatory retirement at 57.
Key provisions
- 1Would allow the Capitol Police Board to set an officer's mandatory retirement age anywhere between 57 and 65, raising the current waiver ceiling from 60 to 65 under the Civil Service Retirement System.
- 2Would make the same change — raising the waiver ceiling from 60 to 65 — for Capitol Police officers covered by the Federal Employees' Retirement System.
Who would be affected
Members of the United States Capitol Police who are approaching mandatory retirement age and seek a waiver to continue serving, and the Capitol Police Board, which would gain wider discretion to grant those waivers. Both CSRS-covered and FERS-covered officers are within scope.
Why it matters
For individual Capitol Police officers who wish to keep working past 60, the change could mean up to five additional years of service if the Board grants a waiver. For the Capitol Police as an institution, the expanded window could help retain experienced personnel in what can be a difficult-to-staff law enforcement agency.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends 5 U.S.C. § 8335(c) (Sec. 1(a))
Raises the maximum waiver age for Capitol Police mandatory retirement from 60 to 65 under the Civil Service Retirement System.
Amends 5 U.S.C. § 8425(c) (Sec. 1(b))
Raises the maximum waiver age for Capitol Police mandatory retirement from 60 to 65 under the Federal Employees' Retirement System.
Agencies directed to act
How implementation would work
The Capitol Police Board would exercise discretion to set, on a case-by-case basis, a retirement age between 57 and 65 for officers seeking to continue beyond the normal mandatory retirement threshold. No rulemaking requirement is stated in the bill text. The change takes effect in both retirement systems — CSRS and FERS — simultaneously upon enactment, with no phased implementation or reporting requirement specified.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill authorizes the Capitol Police Board to waive the mandatory retirement age for members of the Capitol Police up to age 65. (Under current law, a member of the Capitol Police is generally subject to mandatory retirement at age 57 but may receive a waiver from the board authorizing later retirement up to age 60.)
Legislative subjects
Congressional agencies; Congressional officers and employees; Government Operations and Politics; Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management; Law enforcement officers; U.S. Capitol