To provide that attorneys employed by the Department of Justice shall be eligible for compensatory time off for travel under section 5550b of title 5, United States Code.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4057) to provide that attorneys employed by the Department of Justice shall be eligible for compensatory time off for travel under section 5550b of title 5, United States Code, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4057 as amended. I want to thank the leadership for bringing this important legislation to the floor.

This bill, which has been introduced by myself, Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Davis from Illinois and Mr. Van Hollen, is intended to clarify that the Department of Justice attorneys are eligible to receive compensatory time off for time spent in travel status like all other General Schedule employees.

In 2004, Congress approved this government-wide ``comp time for travel'' in the Federal Workforce Flexibility Act. After the bill had passed, the Department of Justice determined that the bill as written did not give it the authority to waive certain limitations imposed on its attorneys by a previous appropriations measure. H.R. 4057 now, through the technical assistance of the Justice Department, unequivocally clarifies congressional intent.

This bill would allow Justice Department attorneys to be compensated for travel time during nonbusiness hours. This would greatly assist those employees who take early morning flights in order to attend to business away from the home office, but don't currently get compensated for their dedication. In light of the fact that quality-of-life programs are among the most effective recruitment and retention tools, I believe that Federal employees should receive compensation while traveling to do the Government's business.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you once again for your attention to this bill, and I urge passage of H.R. 4057 as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join Representatives Davis, Waxman, Porter and Van Hollen in introducing H.R. 4057, which would make attorneys employed by the Department of Justice eligible for compensatory time off for travel.

In 2004, Congress passed the Federal Workforce Flexibility Act which provided compensatory time off to Federal employees when they travel on official business during nonworking hours. If an employee must travel on a Sunday to attend an out-of-town meeting on Monday, that employee can receive credit for giving up his weekend to travel on official government business.

The Office of Personnel Management issued interim regulations that went into effect on January 28, 2005, allowing Federal workers to receive equal time off in exchange for work-related travel outside of regular business hours.

In February of last year, the Justice Department issued guidelines barring DOJ attorneys from receiving the benefit. In support of its decision, the Department cited provisions in its fiscal year 2000 appropriations, which banned overtime pay to Justice Department attorneys. However, those provisions sought to limit overtime pay for attorneys, not compensatory time.

H.R. 4057, which has bipartisan and bicameral support, will clarify that DOJ attorneys are entitled to compensatory time off. And therefore, I am pleased to join with my colleagues in introduction and urge passage of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I don't believe that I am going to have any additional requests for time, and I would yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 1876 and H.R. 4057, and that the Senate proceed to their immediate consideration en bloc.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment that is at the desk be agreed to, that the bills, as amended, if amended, be passed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the measures be printed in the Record en bloc.