Federal Correctional Officer Paycheck Protection Act of 2026

Increased Pay for Correctional Officers: Federal correctional officers employed by the Bureau of Prisons whose duties involve custody, control, or supervision of inmates, or routine direct inmate contact, will receive a special base rate of pay that is 35 percent higher than their current applicable rate (Section 2(a)(b)).

Wage Increases for Certain Prevailing Rate Employees: The Attorney General is required to increase the wage rates of specific covered employees employed by the Bureau of Prisons by 35 percent (Section 2(c)).

Improved Working Conditions: The bill's structure aims to reduce the use of non-custodial employees performing correctional duties and reduce excessive mandatory overtime (Section 3(b)(1)(A)).

Pay Caps: The special base rate for correctional officers cannot exceed the rate of basic pay payable for level V of the Executive Schedule (Section 2(a)(b)(2)).

Wage Caps for Prevailing Rate Employees: For certain covered employees, the increased wage rate may not cause their pay to exceed 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 pay rates is subject to a sunset provision, meaning it terminates five years after enactment unless specific progress is demonstrated and reported (Section 3(b)).