Bill Summary
The "Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act" aims to amend Title 5 of the United States Code to provide increased pay rates for certain employees of the Bureau of Prisons whose duty stations are classified under the "Rest of U.S." locality pay designation.
Key provisions include:
1. **Locality Pay Adjustment**: Employees in the "Rest of U.S." pay locality will have their official worksite considered as located in the nearest pay locality that offers a higher comparability payment if that locality is within 200 miles. This ensures that these employees receive pay rates more comparable to those in higher-paying areas.
2. **Higher Wage Area Pay**: The Act establishes that prevailing rate employees of the Bureau of Prisons working in the "Rest of U.S." wage area will be paid according to the higher wage schedule of the nearest wage area that is within a covered pay locality. If there are multiple wage areas, employees will receive pay based on the closest Bureau of Prisons facility or a similarly comparable wage area.
3. **Applicability**: The changes will take effect 180 days after the Act is enacted, ensuring that the increased pay rates are implemented in a timely manner for affected employees.
Overall, this legislation seeks to improve compensation for correctional officers working in less populated or economically disadvantaged areas, aligning their pay more closely with those in regions with higher living costs and labor demand.
Possible Impacts
The "Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act" introduces provisions that could significantly impact Bureau of Prisons employees who work in areas designated as "Rest of U.S." Here are three examples of how this legislation could affect people:
1. **Increased Pay for Correctional Officers**: The legislation allows correctional officers working in the "Rest of U.S." locality to be compensated based on the nearest higher-paying locality. This means that officers could see an immediate increase in their pay rates, which would improve their financial stability and quality of life, helping them to better support their families and meet living expenses in regions where the cost of living may be high.
2. **Enhanced Recruitment and Retention**: By offering higher wages to Bureau of Prisons employees in less populated or rural areas, the legislation could make these positions more attractive to potential recruits. This may help address staffing shortages and reduce turnover rates, ensuring that correctional facilities are adequately staffed and that employees are not overburdened, which can lead to safer working conditions for both staff and inmates.
3. **Equitable Compensation Across Regions**: The amendments could lead to a more equitable pay structure for Bureau of Prisons employees by recognizing the economic realities of different regions. Employees in "Rest of U.S." areas, who may have previously felt undervalued due to their locality designation, would now receive compensation that reflects the labor market conditions of nearby pay localities. This could foster a sense of fairness and appreciation among workers, potentially improving morale and job satisfaction.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2083 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2083
To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide increased locality pay
rates to certain Bureau of Prisons employees whose duty stations are
located in the pay locality designated as ``Rest of U.S.'', and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 12, 2025
Mr. Cassidy (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mrs. Shaheen) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide increased locality pay
rates to certain Bureau of Prisons employees whose duty stations are
located in the pay locality designated as ``Rest of U.S.'', and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly
Act''.
SEC. 2. PROVIDING NEAREST OTHER LOCALITY PAY RATE FOR CERTAIN BUREAU OF
PRISONS EMPLOYEES RECEIVING REST OF U.S. LOCALITY RATE.
Section 5304 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by
redesignating subsection (i) as subsection (j) and by inserting after
subsection (h) the following:
``(i)(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, and
consistent with paragraph (2), the official worksite of an employee of
the Bureau of Prisons that is otherwise located in the pay locality
designated as `Rest of U.S.' shall be considered to be located in the
nearest other pay locality established pursuant to this section.
``(2) For purposes of carrying out paragraph (1)--
``(A) if more than one pay locality is within 200 miles of
the official worksite of such an employee, such worksite shall
be considered to be located in the pay locality with the
highest comparability payment; and
``(B) an employee of the Bureau of Prisons shall not be
subject to paragraph (1) if the official worksite of such
employee is not within 200 miles of the nearest boundary of any
pay locality other than `Rest of U.S.'.''.
SEC. 3. PROVIDING HIGHER WAGE AREA PAY FOR CERTAIN BUREAU OF PRISONS
EMPLOYEES.
Section 5343 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``(h)(1) In this subsection--
``(A) the term `covered pay locality'--
``(i) means a pay locality established under
section 5304 that includes the boundaries of 2 or more
wage areas established under this section; and
``(ii) does not include the pay locality designated
as `Rest of the U.S.';
``(B) the term `covered wage area' means a wage area
established under this section, the boundary of which is
located within the boundaries of a covered pay locality;
``(C) the term `nearest other wage area' means a wage area,
a boundary of which is located within the boundaries of a
nearest other pay locality established under section 5304(i);
and
``(D) the term `Rest of U.S. wage area' means a wage area
located in the pay locality designated as `Rest of the U.S.'.
``(2)(A) A prevailing rate employee of the Bureau of Prisons
employed in a Rest of U.S. wage area shall be paid at the higher wage
schedule and rate of the nearest other wage area established under this
paragraph and the wage area of the employee.
``(B) For purposes of carrying out subparagraph (A), if the nearest
other pay locality established under section 5304(i) contains the
boundaries of 2 or more wage areas established under this section--
``(i) the employee shall be paid at the wage schedule and
rate for employees at the nearest other Bureau of Prisons
facility within 200 miles of the nearest boundary of the
nearest other pay locality established under section 5304(i);
and
``(ii) if there is no Bureau of Prisons facility in the
nearest other pay locality established under section 5304(i),
the employee shall be paid at the wage schedule and rate for
the nearest other wage area that the Bureau of Prisons
determines is most similar in population, employment, manpower,
and industry to the wage area of the employee, as in effect on
the day before the date of enactment of this subsection.
``(3) A prevailing rate employee of the Bureau of Prisons employed
in a covered wage area shall be paid at the highest applicable wage
schedule and rate for any wage area located in the covered pay
locality.''.
SEC. 4. APPLICABILITY.
The amendments made by this Act shall apply to any pay period
beginning on or after the date that is 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act.
<all>