Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2026

This bill would treat incarcerated people who work as employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the federal law that sets minimum wage and other pay rules. It covers people working in correctional facilities run by government agencies and those run by private companies under government contracts. The agency or private company running the facility would be considered the worker's employer. The cost of housing, food, or other facilities, and money taken from the worker's pay for court-imposed fees, could not be counted toward the wage paid to an incarcerated worker. Court-imposed fees do not include child support, crime victim compensation payments, civil judgments, or criminal fines.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Cory A. Booker Democrat sponsor
• 2 cosponsors