HR7033-119

What This Bill Does

The Federal Correctional Officer Paycheck Protection Act of 2026 creates special base rates for federal correctional officers employed by the Bureau of Prisons. Covered officers include correctional officers whose duties primarily involve custody, control, or supervision of inmates, routine direct inmate contact in custodial settings, certain supervisors or administrators whose positions would qualify if they included routine custodial contact, and positions OPM determines would satisfy the standard under BOP classification. The special rate replaces the otherwise applicable General Schedule base rate or LEO special base rate, counts as basic pay for locality, severance, premium pay, and federal retirement purposes, and is computed by increasing the applicable base rate by 35 percent, rounded to the nearest dollar, capped at Executive Schedule level V. The authority terminates after five years unless the DOJ Inspector General reports measurable progress in reducing or eliminating augmentation, reducing excessive mandatory overtime, and improving recruitment, retention, and institutional safety. If the IG finds measurable progress, the special pay authority continues.

Who Benefits and How

Federal correctional officers benefit from a 35 percent special base-rate increase that also counts toward important pay and retirement calculations. Bureau of Prisons institutions benefit if higher pay improves recruitment, retention, safety, and reduces mandatory overtime and reliance on non-custodial staff for correctional duties. Inmates, prison staff, and communities near federal prisons may benefit if staffing becomes more stable. Congress and DOJ benefit from an Inspector General review before the temporary authority expires.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Bureau of Prisons payroll staff, OPM classification staff, DOJ personnel offices, and federal retirement administrators must identify covered officers, calculate special rates, apply caps, update payroll systems, and integrate the rate into locality, severance, overtime, premium pay, and retirement. Federal taxpayers bear higher personnel costs. DOJ Inspector General staff must evaluate augmentation, mandatory overtime, recruitment, retention, and institutional safety before the five-year sunset.

Key Provisions

• Creates a special base rate for Bureau of Prisons federal correctional officers.
• Defines covered officers to include custody, control, supervision, direct inmate contact, and qualifying supervisory or administrative positions.
• Requires the special base rate to replace the applicable General Schedule or LEO special base rate.
• Requires the special rate to count as basic pay for locality, severance, premium pay, and retirement purposes.
• Increases applicable base rates by 35 percent subject to an Executive Schedule level V cap.
• Provides a five-year sunset unless the DOJ Inspector General finds measurable progress on augmentation, overtime, recruitment, retention, and safety.