Federal RuleAug 21
62
DOL Rewrites Disability Rules for 'Merit-Based Opportunity' Push
RuleLabor DepartmentFederal Contract Compliance Programs OfficeSignificant Wallet
119-hr-5572119th CongressWALLET
Help FEDS Act
Sponsored By: Representative Elfreth, Sarah [D-MD-3]
Introduced
Summary
State unemployment benefits for excepted federal employees during shutdowns. This bill would require States to allow excepted Federal employees to apply for and receive unemployment compensation for weeks they perform Office of Personnel Management–defined emergency work during a lapse in appropriations in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Show full summary
- Federal employees: Excepted employees who work emergency duties while not being paid could get state unemployment for those weeks. If they later receive pay under 31 U.S.C. 1341(c)(2) for the same period they must repay the benefits and that repayment is treated as an overpayment.
- States: States must administer these claims, recover unrepaid amounts the same way they handle other unemployment overpayments, and deposit recovered funds into the State unemployment fund.
- Federal funding: The Treasury would reimburse States 100 percent of the unemployment paid plus related administrative expenses, using the Unemployment Trust Fund and based on certification from the Secretary of Labor.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Unemployment help for unpaid federal workers
If enacted, this would let certain unpaid federal employees claim state unemployment for weeks they work emergency duties during a shutdown in fiscal years 2026 or 2027. You would need to be an excepted employee doing emergency work under OPM rules and not getting paid during the lapse. If you later get back pay for those weeks under 31 U.S.C. 1341(c)(2), you would have to repay the unemployment money to your state; unpaid amounts would be treated as overpayments. States would be reimbursed 100% for these benefits and related admin costs after Labor certifies the amounts. Treasury would pay states from the Unemployment Trust Fund.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Elfreth, Sarah [D-MD-3]
MD • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3]
AZ • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1]
MO • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8]
VA • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5]
MO • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3]
OR • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Hoyer, Steny H. [D-MD-5]
MD • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Ivey, Glenn [D-MD-4]
MD • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Olszewski, Johnny [D-MD-2]
MD • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6]
WA • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Subramanyam, Suhas [D-VA-10]
VA • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Walkinshaw, James R. [D-VA-11]
VA • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Whitesides, George [D-CA-27]
CA • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7]
IL • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13]
NY • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18]
CA • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. McClain Delaney, April [D-MD-6]
MD • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8]
MD • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]
HI • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7]
VA • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. Horsford, Steven [D-NV-4]
NV • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. Schneider, Bradley Scott [D-IL-10]
IL • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]
CA • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. McBride, Sarah [D-DE-At Large]
DE • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5]
NJ • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-14]
CA • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1]
OH • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2]
LA • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]
PA • D
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9]
FL • D
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]
WI • D
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1]
HI • D
Sponsored 10/24/2025
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
WA • D
Sponsored 10/24/2025
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
CA • D
Sponsored 10/24/2025
Rep. Keating, William R. [D-MA-9]
MA • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov