Bill · H.R. 8980· House(119-HR-8980)
Holiday Pay Act
- Introduced
- 5/21/2026
- Last activity
- 5/21/2026 — Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- Sponsored by
- Sarah McBride
- Cosponsors
- - 6 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Holiday Pay Act seeks to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. It would require employers to pay employees working on a legal public holiday at a rate of at least one and one-half times their regular wage. The bill defines a legal public holiday as any holiday specified in section 6103(a) of title 5, United States Code. It also includes various technical updates to enforcement and compensation language throughout the existing law. These changes ensure that holiday pay is protected under the Act's enforcement provisions.
Yes· 3 of 6
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+6
Low-income workers often work hourly wages and will benefit directly from the increased holiday pay rate.
Would union members be better off under this?+5
The bill strengthens wage protections which aligns with union interests regarding fair compensation.
Does this give the federal government more power?+5
The bill expands federal authority by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act to include holiday pay requirements.
The opposite
Would business owners be better off under this?-5
Employers will face increased labor costs due to the mandatory holiday pay rate.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased Compensation for Holiday Work: Employees working on legal public holidays would receive compensation at a rate not less than one and one-half times their regular rate (Section 2(a)).
-
Stronger Enforcement Protections: The bill updates enforcement sections to include "unpaid legal public holiday compensation," which allows for the recovery of these wages (Section 2(d)).
-
Statute of Limitations Protection: The bill adds "unpaid legal public holiday compensation" to the Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947, affecting how these claims are handled (Section 2(f)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts are explicitly stated within the text of the bill.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+6Good For Union Workers+5Good For Middle Class Households+4Good For Business Owners-5
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Due Process+5Increases Federal Power+5
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+5
- 10/1/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 9/15/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 8/31/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 8/3/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/21/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Brendan BoyleDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Greg CasarDemocrat · Texas
Dwight EvansDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Pramila JayapalDemocrat · Washington
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Bonnie Watson ColemanDemocrat · New Jersey