Title 15, Commerce and TradeRelease 119-110

§9076 Limitation on Certain Employee Compensation

Title 15 › CHAPTER 116 — CORONAVIRUS ECONOMIC STABILIZATION (CARES ACT) › SUBCHAPTER III — ECONOMIC STABILIZATION AND ASSISTANCE TO SEVERELY DISTRESSED SECTORS OF THE UNITED STATES ECONOMY › Part B — Air Carrier Worker Support › § 9076

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary may only give financial help to an air carrier or contractor if the company signs an agreement to limit pay for certain high-paid workers from March 24, 2020 through March 24, 2022. Anyone who earned more than $425,000 in 2019 (except workers whose pay is set by a union contract signed before March 27, 2020) cannot be paid more in any 12-month span during that period than they got in 2019. Severance or exit payments cannot exceed twice their 2019 pay. Anyone who made over $3,000,000 in 2019 cannot be paid in any 12 months more than $3,000,000 plus 50% of the amount they earned above $3,000,000 in 2019. "Total compensation" means salary, bonuses, stock awards, and other money benefits.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §9076

Commerce and Trade, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

The Secretary may only provide financial assistance under this part to an air carrier or contractor after such carrier or contractor enters into an agreement with the Secretary which provides that, during the 2-year period beginning March 24, 2020, and ending March 24, 2022, no officer or employee of the air carrier or contractor whose total compensation exceeded $425,000 in calendar year 2019 (other than an employee whose compensation is determined through an existing collective bargaining agreement entered into prior to March 27, 2020)—

(1)will receive from the air carrier or contractor total compensation which exceeds, during any 12 consecutive months of such 2-year period, the total compensation received by the officer or employee from the air carrier or contractor in calendar year 2019;

(2)will receive from the air carrier or contractor severance pay or other benefits upon termination of employment with the air carrier or contractor which exceeds twice the maximum total compensation received by the officer or employee from the air carrier or contractor in calendar year 2019; and

(3)no officer or employee of the eligible business whose total compensation exceeded $3,000,000 in calendar year 2019 may receive during any 12 consecutive months of such period total compensation in excess of the sum of—

(A)$3,000,000; and

(B)50 percent of the excess over $3,000,000 of the total compensation received by the officer or employee from the eligible business in calendar year 2019.

(b)Total compensation defined

In this section, the term “total compensation” includes salary, bonuses, awards of stock, and other financial benefits provided by an air carrier or contractor to an officer or employee of the air carrier or contractor.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 9076

Title 15, Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110