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Congress·In Committee·S. 4143

Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2026

Sen. Booker Introduces Bill to Require Federal Minimum Wage for Incarcerated Workers

A bill to require coverage of incarcerated workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, and for other purposes.

7 days ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process after being introduced in the Senate. It has been sent to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for review, where it is waiting for further action. There are no upcoming votes scheduled at this time.

Legislative Progress

Senate
House
President
Law

Key Points

  • This bill would classify incarcerated people who work as "employees" under the Fair Labor Standards Act, entitling them to the federal minimum wage. It covers workers in both public prisons and those run by private companies under government contracts.

    From policy text

    “any individual employed as an incarcerated worker by a public agency that operates the correctional facility in which such individual is incarcerated or detained”
    View in full text
  • The definition of "incarcerated worker" is broad, covering all types of prison labor—from facility maintenance to manufacturing to work-release programs.

    From policy text

    “including work associated with prison work programs, work release programs, the UNICOR program, State prison industries, public works programs, restitution centers, correctional facility operations and maintenance, and private entities”
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  • Prisons would be banned from deducting the cost of room, board, or other living expenses from the new wages. Court-imposed administrative fees like DNA database fees, filing fees, and jury fees also could not be taken from workers' pay.
  • While most court fees are protected, the bill still allows deductions from wages for child support, payments to crime victim compensation funds, civil judgments, and criminal fines.

    From policy text

    “The term `court-imposed fee' does not include any amount required by a court to be paid for child support, to a crime victim compensation fund, for a civil judgment, or for a criminal fine.”
    View in full text
  • Introduced by Booker, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. It faces steep political obstacles, as it would dramatically increase the cost of operating prisons and jails across the country.
Labor EmploymentCriminal Justice

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

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

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Mar 19, 2026Senate

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

Mar 19, 2026

Introduced in Senate

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

A bill to require coverage of incarcerated workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, and for other purposes.

Bill NumberS 4143
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.