Federal Correctional Officer Paycheck Protection Act of 2026

Increased Pay for Correctional Officers: Federal correctional officers employed by the Bureau of Prisons whose duties relate to the custody, control, or supervision of inmates, or include direct inmate contact, will receive a special base rate of pay calculated by increasing their current rate by 35 percent (Section 2(a)(b)(2)).

Wage Increases for Certain Prevailing Rate Employees: The Attorney General is directed to increase the wage rates of covered employees in the Bureau of Prisons (classified up to grade 9 of the Federal Wage System) by 35 percent (Section 2(c)(2)).

Potential for Reduced Overtime and Improved Safety: The bill's oversight process aims to monitor whether the pay increases help the Bureau of Prisons reduce excessive mandatory overtime and the use of non-custodial employees to perform duties, which relates to institutional safety (Section 3(b)(1)(A)).

Pay Caps: The 35 percent increase for special base rates is subject to a limit; it cannot exceed the rate of basic pay payable for level V of the Executive Schedule (Section 2(a)(b)(2)).

Wage Cap for Prevailing Rate Employees: For certain covered employees, the wage increase may not result in a rate that exceeds the annual rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule (Section 2(c)(4)).

Temporary Nature of Pay Increases: The authority to provide these special base rates and wage increases is subject to a sunset provision, meaning the authority terminates 5 years after the Act is enacted (Section 3(b)).