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Washington, D.C. — The leader of the union representing thousands of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees commended a Senate committee for today approving legislation that recognizes the important work of CBP Agriculture Specialists and provides them the structure and support they deserve.

“Today, we saw an important step toward providing CBP Agriculture Specialists with the support they need to strengthen their vital mission of safeguarding our nation’s food and agriculture from invasive foreign pests and disease,” said Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).

In marking up the Safeguarding American Agriculture Act (S. 1673), the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved by voice vote an amendment by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) that creates an Agriculture Specialist’s career track within CBP that includes criteria for qualified CBP Technicians to be promoted to CBP Agriculture Specialist positions. Prior to the vote, Kelley sent a letter to each committee member asking for their support of the Akaka amendment.

“For years, NTEU has championed the CBP Agriculture Specialists' vital mission and their service to our nation,” Kelley said. “However, we have regularly discovered these dedicated federal employees felt their mission was undervalued, while they also cited problems with the CBP chain of command, promotion opportunities within CBP and inadequate training, equipment, and supplies.”

The Akaka amendment addresses these issues by providing education and training for promotion within the new Agriculture Specialist career track; creating a recruitment and retention plan with numerical goals and recruitment incentives; providing equipment support; and authorizing an interagency rotation program between CBP and the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The NTEU Leader added: “This bipartisan vote is a critical first step toward addressing the concerns of Agriculture Specialists and strengthening CBP’s agricultural mission.”

NTEU is seeking similar legislation in the House of Representatives.

NTEU is the nation’s largest independent union of federal workers, representing 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments, including the entire 24,000-employee CBP bargaining unit.