U.S. Park Police to terminate sequester furloughs
U.S. Park Police furloughs will cease on June 1, enabling employees to work the nine hours per pay period many took off because of the March sequester, according to Major Keith Horton, patrol branch commander.
"The employees and staff are extremely happy," Horton told CBSNews.com.
- Sequester furloughs force near-shutdown of four agencies
- Defense Dept. poised to ease sequestration impacts
Each member of the 747-person staff has taken three days without pay, and expected to take up to 14 days before September. But with the money saved from the existing furlough, and other budget revisions, the Park Police accumulated enough funds to terminate its personnel restrictions early, according to a press release.
The Park Police determined the furlough end date by when the next pay period begins, Horton said.
"This is good news for our employees ... and good news for the security of our nation's icons - the places that the dedicated men and women of the US Park Police protect every day," National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis said in a statement.
Budget cuts continue to prevent recruitment of new Park Police officers - they traditionally initiate a "rookie class" each year as officers retire - and restrict helicopter use in emergencies, Horton said.
Limits on Park Police operation beyond this fiscal year depend on how long the sequester lasts, according to the press release. Horton said the federal law enforcement agency will continue to review their budget as normal staffing restarts to determine any future changes.
The Park Police staffs national parkland in New York, Maryland, Virginia, California and its headquarters in the District of Columbia.
The Pentagon also recently reduced its furloughs, from 800,000 to 680,000 civilian employees who must take 11 unpaid days off beginning July 8. But furlough reductions weren't feasible for six agencies that sent nearly 115,000 employees home Friday in the first of many summer furlough days.
Four of these agencies- the IRS, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Office of Management and Budget - kept almost all workers home today. The Departments of Labor and Interior also furloughed several employees, tacking on an extra - albeit unpaid - day to these government workers' three-day weekend.