FAIR Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The FAIR Act sets a specific federal employee pay raise for calendar year 2026. It requires the percentage adjustment under title 5 section 5303 for statutory pay systems to be 3.3 percent. It also overrides the usual wage survey requirements for fiscal year 2026 and raises prevailing-rate employee basic pay in each wage area, and basic pay under sections 5348 and 5349, by 3.3 percent from the rates in effect on the last day of fiscal year 2025. The bill is a direct pay-setting measure for federal workers, with corresponding payroll and budget effects for federal agencies and taxpayers.
Who Benefits and How
Federal employees in statutory pay systems benefit from a 3.3 percent calendar year 2026 basic pay adjustment. Prevailing-rate employees benefit because wage-grade and related pay rates rise 3.3 percent despite the normal wage survey process. Federal workforce unions benefit from a statutory pay increase they can point to for 2026 compensation planning. Federal employee households benefit from higher basic pay during calendar year 2026.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal agency payroll offices must implement the 3.3 percent pay adjustment in payroll systems. Office of Personnel Management pay administrators must issue guidance for statutory and prevailing-rate systems. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of higher federal payroll outlays. Budget scorekeepers must estimate personnel-cost increases across covered agencies and wage areas.
Key Provisions
- Sets the calendar year 2026 statutory pay-system adjustment at 3.3 percent.
- Provides a 3.3 percent fiscal year 2026 increase for prevailing-rate employees in each wage area.
- Overrides normal wage survey requirements for the fiscal year 2026 prevailing-rate adjustment.
- Requires federal payroll and pay administration systems to implement the increase.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Sets a 3.3 percent 2026 pay adjustment for federal statutory pay systems and prevailing-rate employees.
Key Policy Areas
Federal Workforce, Pay, Government Operations
Primary Purpose
Sets a 3.3 percent 2026 pay adjustment for federal statutory pay systems and prevailing-rate employees.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Federal employees
- Prevailing-rate employees
- Federal workforce unions
- Federal employee households
Identified Costs
- Federal agency payroll offices
- Office of Personnel Management pay administrators
- Federal taxpayers
- Budget scorekeepers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Walkinshaw asked unanimous consent that …
Mr. Connolly (for himself, Ms. Norton, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, …
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Federal employees, Prevailing-rate employees
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology