Congress·In Committee·S. 3867

Senate Committee Reviews Holiday Pay Act to Require 1.5x Wages on Federal Holidays

Holiday Pay Act

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

This bill would require employers to pay workers at least 1.5 times their regular hourly rate for any work done on a federal holiday. For example, a worker who usually earns $15 an hour would earn $22.50 an hour on those days.
The law would cover all 11 official federal holidays, including New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Currently, federal law does not require private companies to pay extra for working on holidays.
This change aims to reward employees who have to work while others are off. It would provide a significant pay boost for millions of people in industries that stay open year-round, such as retail, hospitality, and emergency services.
The Department of Labor would be responsible for making sure companies follow the new rule. If a company fails to pay the extra amount, workers could sue for their missing wages just like they can for unpaid overtime.
States and cities would still be allowed to pass their own laws requiring even higher pay or extra pay for other holidays that are not on the federal list.

Labor EmploymentEconomy Finance

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

2 milestones2 actions

Feb 12, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Feb 12, 2026

Introduced in Senate

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Holiday Pay Act

Bill NumberS 3867

Congress119th Congress

ChamberSenate

Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

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