S. 1444 would require Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to develop a model to determine the number of border patrol agents the agency needs. Under the bill, an independent research organization would be required to evaluate the model and submit any recommendations for improvement to the Congress and CBP. S. 1444 would authorize CBP to hire 600 additional agents each year until the number of active agents meets the level determined by the model. S. 1444 also would increase the rate of pay for pre-scheduled overtime for border patrol agents at the GS-12 level. Lastly, the bill would impose various reporting requirements on CBP and the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
