Congress raises pay for federal prison officers in low-cost areas
H.R. 4008 — Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act · Filed by Randy Weber (R-TX) · 15 cosponsors · Introduced Jun 12, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal pay law to give Bureau of Prisons employees stationed in low-cost areas (designated 'Rest of U.S.') a raise by reclassifying their duty stations as if they were in the nearest higher-paying locality zone within 200 miles. If multiple zones qualify, they get the highest pay rate available. Employees more than 200 miles from any other zone are unaffected. The change takes effect 180 days after enactment.
Why we flagged it
The bill is a straightforward amendment to federal pay law that adjusts locality pay classifications for a specific federal workforce (Bureau of Prisons employees). It is a targeted compensation measure, not a broader policy reform.
What the text implies
- The 200-mile radius threshold may create uneven pay outcomes across BOP facilities depending on proximity to designated pay localities, potentially creating pay disparities among BOP employees in similar cost-of-living areas.
- The provision applies to 'prevailing rate employees' (union/hourly workers) as well as salaried staff, broadening the fiscal impact beyond initial assumptions.
- The 180-day implementation window allows agencies time to model costs, but the bill does not specify appropriations or budget offsets, leaving funding source unclear.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Federal correctional officers in low-cost areas receive higher pay, improving compensation for a workforce with high turnover and difficult working conditions. The bill targets a specific workforce gap without imposing costs on the public or restricting citizen rights.
Who stands to gain
- Bureau of Prisons employees (federal workforce)
Named in the bill
Bureau of Prisons, 5 U.S.C. § 5304, Office of Personnel Management (implied), Federal pay locality system
Where it stands
15 cosponsors: 14 Republicans, 1 Democrats.
- Jun 12, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jun 12, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,445 characters) on Aug 18, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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