S.Amdt. 4112

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Van Hollen, proposes to add two new sections to H.R. 4016 for fiscal year 2026.

True Shutdown Fairness

The first part of the amendment aims to ensure that government and contract workers are paid during a lapse in regular appropriations. It seeks to:

• Provide standard employee compensation to covered employees, including active duty and certain reserve members of the Armed Forces.
• Provide payments to contractors so they can pay standard employee compensation to contract employees.
• Require agency heads to pay these employees as soon as possible (within 7 days if a shutdown is already happening) or on regularly scheduled pay dates for future shutdowns.
• Allow agencies to adjust contract prices to compensate contractors for reasonable costs incurred, such as paying employees who were furloughed, laid off, or had reduced hours/pay during the lapse.

Limitation on Reductions in Force

The second part of the amendment aims to protect employees during a lapse in regular appropriations by prohibiting the use of funds to:

• Propose or carry out a reduction in force or any similar effort to permanently cut the number of agency employees.
• Place any agency employee on administrative leave for more than 10 work days in a calendar year.