# 119-s-4919: Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act

119-s-4919, Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4919
- As of: 2026-10-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4919
- Congress: 119
- Title: Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-24
- Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA] (D-WA)
- Cosponsors: 26
- Policy area: Labor and Employment
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-01

## Summary

**Strengthens penalties and enforcement to stop wage theft and help workers reclaim unpaid pay.** This bill would require clearer pay records, faster final pay, bigger remedies, and funding for enforcement and outreach. - Workers and families: Employees would get mandatory hiring disclosures and regular paystubs and final payments within 14 days, plus expanded remedies that can include interest, liquidated damages, and up to triple damages for wages lost. - Employers and compliance: Employer liability would extend with continuing daily violations for up to 30 days and criminal fines that can reach $100,000 per affected employee for willful offenders. The bill also bans waivers that prevent court suits. - Enforcement and communities: The Secretary of Labor would gain broader authority to sue for wages, interest, and enhanced damages, the Department of Justice must prosecute certain covered offenders, and new grants would fund prevention, outreach, detection, and evidence collection.

## Cosponsors (26)

- Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI] (D-MI), 2026-09-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI] (D-RI), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-WA), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] (D-IL), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA] (D-PA), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] (D-HI), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More paystubs and final-pay rules: benefit, medium. If enacted, covered employers would have to give new-hire written disclosures in the worker's main language within 15 days and update changes within 5 days or by the next paystub. Employers would have to give a paystub each pay period; digital paystubs would be allowed only with the employee's affi…
- Right to higher contract pay: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would require employers to pay the higher rate when an employment contract or collective bargaining agreement sets a higher pay rate than the law requires. This would apply to workers who in any week do business in commerce or produce goods for commerce, or who work for enterpr…
- Grants to prevent wage theft: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Labor Department would run a competitive grant program to fund community groups, labor organizations, employers, and partnerships that do outreach, investigations, help workers file claims, and recover back pay. Grants could last up to three years and the Secretary would prioritize…
- Stronger penalties and higher damages for wage theft: mixed, high. If enacted, employees could recover unpaid wages plus interest at the prevailing rate and extra liquidated damages—generally two times unpaid wages and three times 'wages lost' in certain claims. The Secretary of Labor could sue for wages lost, interest, and triple damages in appropriate cases. Emp…

## Related bills

- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025
- 119-s-2523: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-4919 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4919)

## Related
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-852: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-852)
- [119-s-2150: Women’s Health Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2150)
- [119-s-2523: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2523)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4919 (as of 2026-10-01).