# 119-hr-5801: Shutdown Fairness Act

119-hr-5801, Shutdown Fairness Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large] (R-SD); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5801
- 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-5801
- Congress: 119
- Title: Shutdown Fairness Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-10-21
- Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large] (R-SD)
- Cosponsors: 17
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Provides temporary Treasury funding to keep pay and benefits flowing for federal workers during funding lapses.** It would let agency heads use unobligated money in the Treasury to provide standard pay, allowances, differentials, benefits, and other payments to covered workers when interim or full-year appropriations are not in effect. The rule applies in fiscal year 2026 and later and takes effect retroactively to September 30, 2025. - Federal employees: Excepted employees who work during a lapse could receive their normal pay, allowances, and other regularly payable benefits for the period they perform excepted work. - Contractors: Contractors required by an agency head to support excepted operations can be treated as eligible for payments for work performed during a lapse. - Active duty military: Members of the Armed Forces on active duty performing excepted work are included in the coverage. - Agency operations: Agency heads may draw from any unobligated Treasury funds until appropriations are enacted and must charge obligations to the applicable appropriation once a regular appropriations bill or continuing resolution becomes law.

## Cosponsors (17)

- Rep. Mackenzie, Ryan [R-PA-7] (R-PA), 2025-10-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wied, Tony [R-WI-8] (R-WI), 2025-10-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bice, Stephanie I. [R-OK-5] (R-OK), 2025-10-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Issa, Darrell [R-CA-48] (R-CA), 2025-10-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2025-10-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1] (R-KS), 2025-10-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scott, Austin [R-GA-8] (R-GA), 2025-10-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Miller-Meeks, Mariannette [R-IA-1] (R-IA), 2025-10-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wittman, Robert J. [R-VA-1] (R-VA), 2025-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Messmer, Mark B. [R-IN-8] (R-IN), 2025-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Steil, Bryan [R-WI-1] (R-WI), 2025-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davidson, Warren [R-OH-8] (R-OH), 2025-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Meuser, Daniel [R-PA-9] (R-PA), 2025-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Allen, Rick W. [R-GA-12] (R-GA), 2025-10-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Shreve, Jefferson [R-IN-6] (R-IN), 2025-10-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schmidt, Derek [R-KS-2] (R-KS), 2025-10-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] (R-NE), 2026-02-11T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Paycheck protection for shutdown workers and troops: benefit, high. If enacted, required federal workers would keep normal pay, allowances, and benefits during a funding lapse. Contractors who are required to work to support those employees, and active-duty service members, would also be paid. This would apply in fiscal year 2026 and later, and would take effect as…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-703: Main Street Tax Certainty Act
- 119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act
- 119-hr-38: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3699: Energy Choice Act
- 119-hconres-12: Supporting the Local Radio Freedom Act.
- 119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-5801 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5801)

## Related
- [119-hr-703: Main Street Tax Certainty Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-703)
- [119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-425)
- [119-hr-38: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-38)
- [119-hr-3699: Energy Choice Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3699)
- [119-hconres-12: Supporting the Local Radio Freedom Act.](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hconres-12)
- [119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2853)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5801 (as of 2026-04-21).