Bipartisan legislation has been introduced this month in the House (HR-7033) and Senate (S-3626) to provide a significant federal pay raise for correctional officers at the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to address staff shortages nationwide.
If passed, the Federal Correctional Officer Paycheck Protection Act would give a 35% special salary rate increase to law enforcement officers in federal prisons nationwide. According to lawmakers, this would boost recruitment and retention while eliminating costly overtime and burnout, enhancing safety and improve operations.
SEE ALSO: 2026 Federal Pay Raise
Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and David McCormick (R-PA) are leading the introduction of the bill in the Senate. Companion legislation was introduced in the House by U.S. Representatives Dan Goldman (D-NY), Rob Bresnahan (R-PA) and Maggie Goodlander (D-NH).
According to a press release from Shaheen, for years the Federal Bureau of Prisons has faced “dire staffing shortages that have worsened deteriorating conditions at facilities across the country.” Shaheen’s office cites a February 2024 report by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General that highlighted the use of augmentation and mandatory overtime to compensate for staffing shortages in BOP facilities overburdened employees and may have contributed to staff fatigue, sleep deprivation, decreased vigilance and inattentiveness to duty.
“Persistent and often dangerous staffing shortages at federal prisons nationwide cause safety concerns for BOP personnel and incarcerated individuals alike,” Shaheen said in a statement. “Our bill will help to ensure that staff within our federal prisons are paid adequately for the critical work they do across this country.”
Specifically, Shaheen’s office says the bill would:
- Enact a special rate of pay for federal correctional officers to address chronic recruitment and retention issues.
- Establishes a 35% increase to the General Schedule (GS) pay scale for correctional officers.
- Applies the enhanced pay rate to federal correctional officers with custodial responsibilities, including General Schedule positions, General Law (GL) law enforcement officers, and eligible prevailing-rate employees.
- Includes a sunset provision that requires the Inspector General of the Department of Justice to conduct a review that determines if the Bureau of Prisons has demonstrated measurable progress in eliminating augmentation and reducing excessive mandatory overtime for federal correctional officers. If progress has been made, the special salary rate remains in place. A report on the review will be submitted to Congress.
The Federal Correctional Officer Paycheck Protection Act has been endorsed by the Council of Prison Locals C-33, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) and the New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA).
To read the full text of the bill, go here.