§9096 — Title 15 Commerce and Trade | U.S. Code

§9096 Limitation on certain employee compensation

Title 15 › Chapter CHAPTER 116— - CORONAVIRUS ECONOMIC STABILIZATION (CARES ACT) › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - ECONOMIC STABILIZATION AND ASSISTANCE TO SEVERELY DISTRESSED SECTORS OF THE UNITED STATES ECONOMY › Part Part C— - Airline Worker Support Extension › § 9096

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary will only give money to an airline or its contractor if the company signs an agreement to limit certain workers’ pay from October 1, 2020 to October 1, 2022. Anyone who made more than $425,000 in 2019 (except workers whose pay is set by a collective bargaining agreement made before December 27, 2020) cannot get, in any 12-month span during those two years, more total pay than they got in 2019. They also cannot get severance or end-of-job benefits larger than twice their 2019 highest pay. If someone made more than $3,000,000 in 2019, their pay in any 12-month span during the two years cannot exceed $3,000,000 plus 50% of the amount they earned over $3,000,000 in 2019. “Total compensation” means salary, bonuses, stock awards, and other financial benefits from the airline or contractor.

Title 15, §9096

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary may only provide financial assistance under this part to a passenger air carrier or contractor after such carrier or contractor enters into an agreement with the Secretary that provides that, during the 2-year period beginning October 1, 2020, and ending October 1, 2022—

(1)no officer or employee of the passenger air carrier or contractor whose total compensation exceeded $425,000 in calendar year 2019 (other than an employee whose compensation is determined through an existing collective bargaining agreement entered into prior to December 27, 2020) will receive from the passenger air carrier or contractor—

(A)total compensation that exceeds, during any 12 consecutive months of such 2-year period, the total compensation received by the officer or employee from the passenger air carrier or contractor in calendar year 2019; or

(B)severance pay or other benefits upon termination of employment with the passenger air carrier or contractor which exceeds twice the maximum total compensation received by the officer or employee from the passenger air carrier or contractor in calendar year 2019; and

(2)no officer or employee of the passenger air carrier or contractor whose total compensation exceeded $3,000,000 in calendar year 2019 may receive during any 12 consecutive months of such period total compensation in excess of the sum of—

(A)$3,000,000; and

(B)50 percent of the excess over $3,000,000 of the total compensation received by the officer or employee from the passenger air carrier or contractor in calendar year 2019.

(b)In this section, the term “total compensation” includes salary, bonuses, awards of stock, and other financial benefits provided by a passenger air carrier or contractor to an officer or employee of the passenger air carrier or contractor.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This part, referred to in subsec. (a), was in the original “this subtitle”, meaning subtitle A (§§ 401–412) of title IV of div. N of Pub. L. 116–260, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2052, which enacted this part and amended section 9041, 9071, and 9074 of this title. For complete classification of subtitle A to the Code, see Tables. Codification Section was enacted as part of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, and also as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and not as part of the CARES Act which in part comprises this chapter.