# 119-hr-7137: Shutdown Fairness Act

119-hr-7137, 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 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7137
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-7137
- Congress: 119
- Title: Shutdown Fairness Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-01-16
- Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Dusty [R-SD-At Large] (R-SD)
- Cosponsors: 37
- Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Creates a Treasury-funded backstop to guarantee pay for federal employees, members of the Armed Forces, and certain contractors during gaps in regular appropriations.** This bill would define who is covered and set when and how those payments must be made. - Federal employees and service members: Covered employees would receive their standard compensation, including base pay, allowances, and regular differentials, for lapses beginning October 1, 2025 and for later lapses under the bill’s rules. Coverage includes excepted and emergency workers, furloughed staff, active-duty members, and reservists performing duty. - Contractors who must keep working: Contractors that support covered employees and are required to perform work during a lapse would be paid for work performed. Agencies could allow advance payments when lawful and as determined by the agency head. - Agencies and budgeting rules: For fiscal year 2026 and after the bill would appropriate from Treasury sums necessary to make these payments and limit their use strictly to employee and covered-contractor pay. If a lapse is ongoing at enactment agencies must pay as soon as practicable but no later than 7 days after enactment, and for future lapses payments would follow regular pay dates.

## Cosponsors (37)

- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mackenzie, Ryan [R-PA-7] (R-PA), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2] (D-NH), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1] (R-KS), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wittman, Robert J. [R-VA-1] (R-VA), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Steil, Bryan [R-WI-1] (R-WI), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Golden, Jared F. [D-ME-2] (D-ME), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (D-FL), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bresnahan, Robert P. [R-PA-8] (R-PA), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garbarino, Andrew R. [R-NY-2] (R-NY), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1] (D-NC), 2026-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2026-02-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17] (D-PA), 2026-02-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Green, Al [D-TX-9] (D-TX), 2026-02-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rescom. Hernández, Pablo Jose [D-PR-At Large] (D-PR), 2026-02-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3] (R-WI), 2026-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Liccardo, Sam T. [D-CA-16] (D-CA), 2026-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26] (D-NY), 2026-03-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Barrett, Tom [R-MI-7] (R-MI), 2026-03-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46] (D-CA), 2026-03-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kean, Thomas H. [R-NJ-7] (R-NJ), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6] (R-WI), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2] (D-NM), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1] (D-OH), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bean, Aaron [R-FL-4] (R-FL), 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mills, Cory [R-FL-7] (R-FL), 2026-04-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Miller, Max L. [R-OH-7] (R-OH), 2026-04-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bishop, Sanford D. [D-GA-2] (D-GA), 2026-04-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stevens, Haley M. [D-MI-11] (D-MI), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (D-CO), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schmidt, Derek [R-KS-2] (R-KS), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Guaranteed pay for workers and contractors: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would appropriate from Treasury the sums needed to pay standard employee compensation to covered federal employees and to pay covered contractors during any lapse in regular appropriations for fiscal year 2026 and each year after. You would be a covered employee if you were emp…
- Rules and limits for shutdown pay: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would make these payments subject to special appropriation rules. For FY2026 they would follow the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026, and for FY2027 and later they must follow the requirements that applied before the lapse. Agencies would have to charge any payments to the la…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-7137 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7137)

## Related
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7137 (as of 2026-09-21).