Federal RuleAug 21
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DOL Rewrites Disability Rules for 'Merit-Based Opportunity' Push
RuleLabor DepartmentFederal Contract Compliance Programs OfficeSignificant Wallet
S4174119th CongressWALLET
A bill to provide a premium payment to employees who worked without receiving pay during the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security of 10 percent of the pay the employees should have received during the shutdown.
Sponsored By: Senator Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]
Introduced
Summary
One-time premium pay for unpaid DHS workers from the Feb 14, 2026 funding lapse. This bill would require agency heads to pay eligible Department of Homeland Security employees a one-time premium equal to 10% of the product of their hours worked without pay and their hourly rate of basic pay, with payment issued no later than one day after the lapse ends.
Show full summary
- Workers: Unpaid DHS employees who performed work during the Feb 14, 2026 lapse and received no pay for those hours would get a one-time payment equal to 10% of (hours worked without pay × hourly basic pay).
- Eligibility: Only employees who performed work during the specified lapse and received no pay for any of those hours are covered; employees who got any pay for those hours are excluded.
- Administration: Agency heads must identify eligible staff and make the required one-time payments immediately after the lapse ends, using each employee’s actual unpaid hours and current basic pay rate.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
One-time pay boost for DHS workers
If enacted, DHS workers who worked during the funding lapse that began on February 14, 2026 and received no pay would get a one-time payment. The payment would equal 10% of your unpaid hours times your hourly rate of basic pay. Your agency would have to pay you no later than one day after the lapse ends. This would not apply if you received any pay for work during the lapse. The bill text does not specify a funding source for these payments.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]
AZ • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov