# 119-hr-9458: Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act 119-hr-9458, Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3] (D-CT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-03). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9458 - As of: 2026-11-03 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-9458 - Congress: 119 - Title: Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-06-25 - Sponsor: Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3] (D-CT) - Cosponsors: 29 - Policy area: Labor and Employment - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-11-03 ## Summary **Guarantees workers timely, full pay and sharply increases penalties to fight wage theft.** This bill would require clear pay disclosures and regular paystubs, create a federal right to full contracted pay, expand damages and criminal exposure, and fund local enforcement partnerships and grants. - Workers: Would require written disclosures within 15 days of hire in the employee's primary language, a paystub each pay period, and final wages within 14 days of separation. It would also require employers to pay any higher rate set by a contract or collective bargaining agreement. - Employers: Would create new civil fines up to $25,150 per employee for initial violations and up to $250,150 per employee for repeated or willful violations. Employers would face stricter record rules and a tougher evidentiary standard when records are missing. - Communities and enforcement: Would fund competitive grants for outreach, investigations, and back-pay recovery with grants lasting up to 3 years and funding authorized for fiscal years 2027 through 2030. It would also lengthen time limits for bringing wage claims and pause those limits during government probes. ## Cosponsors (29) - Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3] (D-OR), 2026-11-02T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2026-10-22T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI), 2026-10-22T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5] (D-MN), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] (D-NJ), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12] (D-PA), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3] (D-VA), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10] (D-CA), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] (D-CA), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39] (D-CA), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13] (D-IL), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] (D-NC), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ), 2026-07-14T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2026-07-16T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1] (D-CT), 2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2026-08-24T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL), 2026-09-01T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Bigger recoveries for unpaid wages: benefit, high. If enacted, workers who win unpaid-wage or unpaid-overtime claims would get interest at the prevailing rate for the unpaid time. In many cases liquidated damages would equal 2 times unpaid wages or overtime, and in one specified situation liquidated damages would equal 3 times wages lost. The bill… - Clear pay notices and paystubs: benefit, medium. If enacted, employers would have to give new hires a written or digital pay notice in the worker's main language within 15 days. Employers would have to update notices within 5 days of a change or by the next paystub. You would get a written paystub each pay period listing hours (except salaried ex… - Get the higher contract pay: benefit, medium. If enacted, employers would have to pay the rate written in an employment contract or collective bargaining agreement when that rate is higher than the FLSA-required rate. This would apply to employees who work in or for businesses engaged in commerce or the production of goods for commerce. You wo… - Large civil fines for wage and tip violations: cost, high. If enacted, employers could face per-employee civil fines for many wage and recordkeeping violations. Examples: up to $50 per employee for certain Section 5 violations (or $100 if willful); up to $1,000 per employee for some recordkeeping violations (or $5,000 if willful); up to $25,150 per employe… - Higher criminal penalties and DOJ referrals: mixed, high. If enacted, criminal penalties for willful wage violations would rise to fines up to $100,000 for each employee affected for each violative act. The Secretary of Labor would have to refer cases to the Department of Justice when a defined "covered offender" willfully falsifies records, willfully bre… - Repeal of a narrow FLSA rule: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would repeal section 10 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S.C. 210). The text does not say what replaces that section. The practical effect would depend on the content of the repealed provision. ## Related bills - 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act - 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act - 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025 - 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act - 119-hr-15: Equality Act - 119-hr-2743: Raise the Wage Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-hr-9458 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9458) ## Related - [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973) - [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51) - [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20) - [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390) - [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15) - [119-hr-2743: Raise the Wage Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2743) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9458 (as of 2026-11-03).