# Plain Language Summary: Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act

This bill is designed to give federal prison guards and other correctional officers who work in rural or less populated areas a pay raise. Right now, the federal government groups all these workers into a category called "Rest of U.S." for pay purposes, which means they all get the same base locality pay rate regardless of where they actually work. The problem is that some of these officers work in areas that are actually closer to cities or regions that have higher pay rates, but they don't get credit for that. This bill fixes that by saying if a prison is located within 100 miles of a city or region that has a higher pay locality rate, those officers should get paid according to that nearby area's rate instead of the generic "Rest of U.S." rate.

The practical effect is straightforward: correctional officers working at federal prisons in rural areas near bigger cities would see their paychecks increase. For example, if a federal prison is located 50 miles from a metropolitan area that qualifies for higher locality pay, the officers working there would now receive that higher rate. The bill wouldn't affect officers who work at prisons that are more than 100 miles away from any other pay locality—they'd keep their current "Rest of U.S." rate. The changes would take effect six months after the bill becomes law, giving the federal government time to implement the new pay structure.

This is essentially a targeted pay adjustment aimed at helping the federal government compete for correctional officer jobs in areas where they're struggling to recruit and retain staff. Prison work is demanding and often dangerous, and officers in rural areas have sometimes felt undercompensated compared to their counterparts in or near major cities. By aligning their pay with nearby urban areas, the bill aims to make these positions more attractive and help reduce staff shortages at federal prisons.

Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act

Weber, Randy K. Sr.

Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act This bill provides increased locality pay rates to certain Bureau of Prisons employees whose duty stations are located in the pay locality designated as Rest of U.S. The Rest of U.S. GS (general schedule) locality is the default locality area that applies to GS employees in any city that does not fall within another specified GS locality. Such an employee shall not be subject to this bill if his or her official work site is not located within 100 miles of any pay locality other than Rest of U.S.