Federal Correctional Officer Paycheck Protection Act of 2026
Congress Proposes 35% Pay Raise for Federal Prison Officers to Fix Staffing Shortages
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill, introduced by Congress, would give federal correctional officers working for the Bureau of Prisons a 35% increase in their base pay. This raise would apply to officers who directly supervise inmates or have regular contact with them as part of their daily jobs.
- The goal is to help the government hire and keep more prison staff. Currently, many federal prisons are so short-staffed that they have to use office workers or teachers to fill guard roles and force regular officers to work excessive amounts of overtime.
- The pay bump would count toward the officers' retirement benefits and other pay calculations. It covers both standard salary employees and certain hourly workers, though there is a limit on the total amount any one person can earn to ensure it doesn't exceed high-level government executive pay.
- This pay increase would last for at least five years. Before that time is up, the Department of Justice Inspector General will check if the extra money actually helped reduce staffing problems and overtime. If the program is proven to be working, the pay raise will stay in place.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
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Lawmakers propose 35% pay raise for federal prison workers
Bipartisan legislation would establish a special pay rate for employees at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons until the agency reduces its reliance on mandatory overtime and augmentation of support staff's duties. The bill aims to counter longstanding staffing shortages at federal institutions.
Bipartisan lawmakers propose 35% federal pay raise for Bureau of Prisons officers
New legislation to give BOP correctional officers a 35% federal pay raise attempts to address longstanding staffing shortages across the agency. The Federal Correctional Officer Paycheck Protection Act was introduced by a bipartisan group in both the House and Senate.
Federal Prison Staffing Bill Proposes Major Pay Boost
A bipartisan bill aims to tackle chronic staffing shortages at federal prisons by raising correctional officer pay nationwide. US Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Dave McCormick are sponsoring the act, which would provide a 35% pay increase for federal correctional officers.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Federal Correctional Officer Paycheck Protection Act of 2026
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
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