Legislators at the federal level are working to increase safety at Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities by increasing pay rates for correctional officers, said U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

During a press call on Tuesday, he discussed a bipartisan bill that was introduced earlier this month that will ensure fair pay for BOP employees in rural areas: The “Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act.”

The bill addresses these issues by granting competitive pay that takes cost of living, commute times, alternative careers and the “hard work and dedication of BOP employees” into account, according to a release from Cassidy’s office.

Cassidy said during the call that when writing the bill, he kept the staffing shortage and retention issues at Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Oakdale in Allen Parish and FCC Pollock in Grant Parish in mind. He visited with them personally for insight, he said.

“The Bureau of Prisons employees, they’ve spoken to me. They’re underpaid, they’re understaffed, they’re having to have people do things for which they’ve not been hired. It is leading to exhaustion, fatigue and increased safety risks.”

Over the past four years, the shortage of correctional officers has been on a steady rise, and the Bureau of Labor projects that there will be a seven percent decline in correctional officers in eight years, according to the release.

FCC Oakdale houses 2,000 federal inmates. Due to the “unsustainably low staffing levels” the facility relies on mandatory overtime and the use of support staff – cooks, teachers, nurses – to guard inmates. Inmates are negatively affected by the use of support staff, as visitations, recreational time and academic enrichment opportunities are limited.

The situation at FCC Pollok is similar.

Addressing staffing issues at BOP facilities has been attempted by both the Biden and Trump administrations.

Congress was pushed to authorize and fund 20,466 correctional officers over the previous four years. Despite allocating funding, BOP did not meet the presidents’ staffing goal.

These federal legislative steps are aligning with Louisiana’s crime-focused special session that began on Feb. 19. Cassidy said that this federal and state synergy will serve as a one-two punch to issues regarding crime and the criminal justice system.

“Paying people what they’re worth is good for recruitment and good for the safety of all. By working at both the federal and state level, we can combat crime.”

The special session is slated to discuss and vote on “tough on crime” policy proposals that would put limits on parole eligibility, create harsher penalties for carjackings, expand methods for death row executions, “immunity from liability” for law enforcement in certain cases and allow unpermitted concealed carry of firearms, to name a few.

Cassidy said that Gov. Jeff Landry’s “commitment to addressing rising crime” is one reason that he supported him during the gubernatorial election.