Government guarantees jobs in 15 pilot regions—with union wages and full benefits
S. 3864 — Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act of 2026 · Filed by Cory Booker (D-NJ) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 12, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill creates a 3-year pilot program in up to 15 high-unemployment areas (states, tribes, or regions with joblessness at least 150% of the national average) that guarantees a job to anyone 18+ who applies. Jobs must pay at least the prevailing wage, include federal-level health insurance and paid leave, and be covered by collective bargaining agreements where applicable. The program funds local governments and tribes to create these jobs, with federal agencies also offering positions; the government reimburses agencies for full employment costs. The bill also expands a tax credit for employers who hire participants.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a federally funded job guarantee pilot targeting high-unemployment regions. It is fundamentally a public-sector employment and worker-protection initiative, not a tax incentive, deregulation, or private-sector subsidy. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit expansion is secondary and supportive.
What the text implies
- The program's success or failure will generate significant empirical data on whether job guarantees reduce poverty, incarceration, and public assistance spending — potentially influencing future federal employment policy at scale.
- By requiring jobs to be covered by collective bargaining agreements where applicable and setting wages at prevailing-wage levels, the bill may indirectly strengthen union organizing and wage standards in participating regions.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Local governments and tribal entities (grant recipients); Workers in high-unemployment areas (wages, benefits, training); Employers hiring job-guarantee participants (Work Opportunity Tax Credit expansion)