# 119-hr-5974: Bureau of Prisons Pay Protection Act

119-hr-5974, Bureau of Prisons Pay Protection Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7] (D-CO); status introduced (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5974
- 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-5974
- Congress: 119
- Title: Bureau of Prisons Pay Protection Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-11-07
- Sponsor: Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7] (D-CO)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Guarantees pay for Bureau of Prisons staff during lapses in discretionary appropriations.** The bill lets the Treasury use "any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated" to provide "such sums as are necessary" to pay salaries for all Bureau of Prisons personnel during funding gaps. *This authorizes open-ended Treasury spending to cover those payrolls during lapses.*

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (D-CO), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2] (R-NJ), 2025-12-09T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Paychecks for prison staff during shutdowns: benefit, high. If enacted, Bureau of Prisons staff would keep getting paid during a funding lapse. The Treasury would provide whatever money is needed to cover salaries. This would apply to both correctional and non‑correctional staff at Bureau facilities. Pay would continue for the whole period of the lapse in d…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-10061: Wildfire Response and Readiness Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-6771: Housing Crisis Response Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-5974 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5974)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6644)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-10061: Wildfire Response and Readiness Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10061)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-6771: Housing Crisis Response Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6771)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5974 (as of 2026-04-21).