# 119-hr-1988: Pay Federal Workers and Servicemembers Act

119-hr-1988, Pay Federal Workers and Servicemembers Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1988
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-1988
- Congress: 119
- Title: Pay Federal Workers and Servicemembers Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-03-10
- Sponsor: Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI)
- Cosponsors: 27
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Immediate unemployment eligibility** for certain federal personnel excepted from furlough but not paid during a lapse in appropriations. The bill would treat those workers as separated from Federal service and let them claim unemployment compensation with no waiting period. - Federal civilian employees who are excepted from furlough or performing emergency work, as defined by the Office of Personnel Management, would be deemed totally separated and eligible for unemployment benefits during the lapse. - Members of the Armed Forces and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps who are excepted and unpaid would also be treated as separated and could receive unemployment compensation with no waiting week. - The change would apply to weeks of unemployment beginning on or after March 14, 2025, and only for lapses in appropriations that start on or after that date.

## Cosponsors (27)

- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (D-NY), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] (D-AL), 2025-03-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Boyle, Brendan F. [D-PA-2] (D-PA), 2025-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2025-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17] (D-PA), 2025-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46] (D-CA), 2025-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1] (D-OH), 2025-04-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-09-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52] (D-CA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6] (D-LA), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2] (D-AL), 2025-09-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27] (D-CA), 2025-10-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large] (D-DE), 2025-10-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6] (D-WA), 2025-10-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (D-FL), 2025-10-08T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Frankel, Lois [D-FL-22] (D-FL), 2025-10-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ivey, Glenn [D-MD-4] (D-MD), 2025-10-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2025-10-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1] (D-MO), 2025-10-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Keating, William R. [D-MA-9] (D-MA), 2025-10-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2026-01-08T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Unemployment pay during shutdown for unpaid federal workers and military: benefit, medium. If enacted, unpaid excepted federal workers, military members, and the NOAA Commissioned Corps would qualify for unemployment during a shutdown. You must be excepted from furlough or doing emergency work and not being paid. You would be treated as totally separated from federal service only for une…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act
- 119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025
- 119-hr-12: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2763: American Family Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-1988 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1988)

## Related
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1589)
- [119-hr-12: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-12)
- [119-hr-2763: American Family Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2763)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1988 (as of 2026-04-21).