# 119-hr-8002: Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2026

119-hr-8002, Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5] (D-MO); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8002
- 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-8002
- Congress: 119
- Title: Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-19
- Sponsor: Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5] (D-MO)
- Cosponsors: 10
- Policy area: Labor and Employment
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Would extend FLSA minimum wage and overtime protections to incarcerated workers.** This bill would rewrite the Fair Labor Standards Act's definition of "employee" to cover people who work in correctional facilities run by public agencies or by private entities under contract with a public agency. - Incarcerated workers would be treated as employees under the FLSA and eligible for minimum wage and overtime rules. Their legal wages could not include the cost of board, lodging, or other facility charges, nor amounts taken to pay court-imposed fees. - Public agencies and private contractors that operate or run correctional facilities under contract would be treated as the employing entity. Those employers would need to follow FLSA rules for the work performed inside those facilities. - The bill adds clear definitions. It defines "incarcerated worker," lists covered programs like prison work programs, work release, UNICOR, and state prison industries, and gives a broad definition of "court-imposed fee" while excluding child support, victim fund payments, civil judgments, and criminal fines.

## Cosponsors (10)

- Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37] (D-CA), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3] (D-IL), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] (D-IL), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2026-03-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] (D-NC), 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT), 2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Minimum pay rights for incarcerated workers: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would treat people who work while incarcerated as employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The prison or a private contractor running the prison would be treated as the employer. The bill would say the cost of board, housing, or other facility charges would not count as wa…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-5361: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8002 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8002)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3069)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-5361: George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5361)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8002 (as of 2026-09-21).