Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2026

Cory A. Booker

Democrat · NJ · Senator

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

1 cosponsor on record at Congress.gov. The named list is syncing into Govwatch and will appear here shortly — view on Congress.gov in the meantime.

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

2026-03-19

Source: Congress.gov

This bill would require incarcerated people who work while in prison to be paid at least the federal minimum wage for their labor, rather than the pennies per hour or nothing they typically earn now. The law would affect both state and federal prisons, ensuring that people doing jobs like maintenance, food service, or manufacturing inside correctional facilities receive fair compensation for their work. Supporters argue this would help incarcerated workers save money for reentry into society, while opponents raise concerns about implementation costs and prison operations.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 4143 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4143 To require coverage of incarcerated workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 19, 2026 Mr. Booker introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To require coverage of incarcerated workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, 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 ``Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. COVERAGE OF INCARCERATED WORKERS UNDER THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT OF 1938. Section 3 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 203) is amended-- (1) in subsection (e)-- (A) in paragraph (2)-- (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a semicolon; (ii) in subparagraph (C)(ii)(V), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and (iii) by adding at the end the following: ``(D) any individual employed as an incarcerated worker by a public agency that operates the correctional facility in which such individual is incarcerated or detained.''; and (B) by adding at the end the following: ``(6) The term `employee' includes (in addition to an individual described in paragraph (2)(D)) any individual employed as an incarcerated worker by a private entity that operates, through a contract with a public agency, the correctional facility in which such individual is incarcerated or detained.''; (2) in subsection (m)(1), by striking ``any employee.'' and inserting ``any employee: Provided further, That, in the case of an employee who is an incarcerated worker, the cost of board, lodging, or other facilities and any amount taken from amounts paid such incarcerated worker for payment of a court- imposed fee shall not be included in the wage paid to such employee.''; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ``(z)(1) `Incarcerated worker' means an individual, incarcerated or detained in a correctional facility operated by a public agency or by a private entity through a contract with a public agency, who performs work offered or required by or through the correctional facility, including work associated with prison work programs, work release programs, the UNICOR program, State prison industries, public works programs, restitution centers, correctional facility operations and maintenance, and private entities. ``(2) An incarcerated worker shall be considered employed by-- ``(A) the public agency operating the correctional facility in which the individual is incarcerated or detained; or ``(B) in the case of a correctional facility operated by a private entity through a contract with a public agency, such private entity. ``(aa) `Correctional facility' has the meaning given such term in section 901 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10251). ``(bb)(1) `Court-imposed fee' means any fee imposed by a court as a result of a criminal conviction, including any surcharge imposed for a felony or misdemeanor conviction, a criminal justice administrative fee, a court-appointed attorney fee, a court clerk fee, a filing clerk fee, a DNA database fee, a jury fee, a crime lab analysis fee, a late fee, an installment fee, or any other court cost. ``(2) The term `court-imposed fee' does not include any amount required by a court to be paid for child support, to a crime victim compensation fund, for a civil judgment, or for…

a criminal fine.''. <all>

• SJRES154A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to the withdrawal of the rule relating to "Equal Credit Opportunity (Regulation B); Revocations or Unfavorable Changes to the Terms of Existing Credit Arrangements".
  Referred to Committee · 2026-05-13
• S4454Firearm Safety Act of 2026
  Referred to Committee · 2026-04-30
• S4443Eastern Mediterranean Gateway Act
  Referred to Committee · 2026-04-29
• S4434CLEAN Mergers Act
  Referred to Committee · 2026-04-29