Federal Correctional Officer Paycheck Protection Act of 2026

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.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.