Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act of 2026

This bill would require the Secretary of Labor to create a pilot program giving competitive grants to up to 15 local governments or Tribal entities whose unemployment rate is at least 150 percent of the national rate. Grantees would use the money to offer a job to any adult living in their area who applies, with pay at least equal to the higher of the local minimum wage, the prevailing wage, or a union contract wage, plus health coverage comparable to federal employees' and paid family and sick leave. Federal funding for each program would last up to three years, and federal agencies could also offer jobs at pilot sites and be reimbursed from a new trust fund. The bill also provides up to 8 weeks of paid training, requires annual audits and reports, calls for an evaluation, and expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit to employers who hire program participants.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Bonnie Watson Coleman Democrat sponsor
• 4 cosponsors