Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2026
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Progress
Where this bill stands in the legislative process.
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To President
- Became Law
Overview
This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to extend protections to incarcerated workers. Specifically, it expands the definition of ‘employee’ to include individuals working in correctional facilities, regardless of whether the facility is run by a public or private entity. It also clarifies that the cost of housing and facilities provided to incarcerated workers shouldn’t be counted as wages, and defines ‘incarcerated worker’ and ‘court-imposed fee’ for legal clarity.
Key provisions
- Expands the definition of ‘employee’ to include incarcerated workers in public and private correctional facilities.
- Requires that the cost of board, lodging, and facilities provided to incarcerated workers not be included in their wages.
- Defines ‘incarcerated worker’ as an individual working in a correctional facility.
- Defines ‘court-imposed fee’ for wage calculations.
- Clarifies that private entities operating correctional facilities under contract with public agencies are also responsible for complying with wage standards.
Who is affected
- Incarcerated individuals
- Correctional facilities (public and private)
- Private entities operating correctional facilities under contract
- Public agencies operating correctional facilities
- Workers in correctional facilities
Notable changes
Bill text
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Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
10 on record
Primary sponsor
Cosponsors
![Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] Norton](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcivik-platform-media-us-east-1-prod.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Flegislator-portraits%2Fcongress%2FN000147.jpg&w=64&q=75){kind=small}
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