Bills · HR 493
IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS
House BillHR 493Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
FAIR Act
INTRO JAN 16· LAST ACTION SEP 16
READING
2MIN
COSPONSORS
36
READER REACTIONS0 TOTAL
NO VOTES YET · BE THE FIRST
- Introduced only
LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS
STEP 2 / 8Introduced
In Committee
Reported
Passed House
Passed Senate
Conference
To President
Became Law
WHAT THE BILL DOES
AI-writtenVoters should care about this bill because federal employees play a critical role in delivering essential services, from processing taxes and social security benefits to protecting national security and managing public lands. Ensuring their pay keeps pace with inflation and private sector wages can help the government attract and keep skilled workers, which in turn affects the quality and efficiency of government services.
If this bill becomes law, federal employees will receive a predetermined pay raise in 2026, which could help them deal with rising living costs. If it doesn't pass, their pay raise for 2026 would likely be lower or even non-existent, potentially making it harder for the government to compete for talent and leading to decreased morale among the federal workforce. It also impacts the overall federal budget and taxpayer spending.
KEY PROVISIONS
4AI-extractedPROVISION 01
Increases the basic pay for most federal employees (those under "statutory pay systems") by 3.3 percent.
This directly boosts the base salary for a large portion of the federal workforce.
PROVISION 02
Increases the basic pay for "prevailing rate employees" (typically blue-collar workers) by 3.3 percent for fiscal year 2026, overriding the usual requirement for wage surveys.
Ensures a specific pay increase for this group, bypassing potentially lower or delayed increases from surveys.
PROVISION 03
Adds an extra 1 percent increase to "locality pay" for federal employees, which adjusts wages based on the cost of living in different regions.
Provides additional compensation to help employees in areas with higher living expenses.
PROVISION 04
Sets these pay adjustments to take effect for calendar year 2026 and fiscal year 2026.
Specifies when federal employees can expect to see these changes in their paychecks.
SPONSORSHIP
1 + 36
D· Virginia
YRS IN OFFICE
17
BILLS LED
27
COSPONSOR BREAKDOWNBIPARTISAN · 5%
DEM 35 REP 1 IND 0
ACTION TIMELINE
3 EVENTSSEP 16
ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Walkinshaw asked unanimous consent that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 493, a bill originally introduced by Representative Connolly, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.
JAN 16
Introduced in House
JAN 16
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
BILL INFO
TypeHouse Bill
NumberHR 493
Congress119th
StatusIn Committee
IntroducedJan 16, 2025
Last actionSep 16, 2025
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IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS · OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM COMMITTEE · INTRODUCED JAN 16, 2025
House BillHR 493Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
FAIR Act
INTRODUCED JAN 16, 2025· LAST ACTION SEP 16, 2025
PASSAGE CHANCES
—%
READING
2 min
COSPONSORS
36
COMPLEXITY
Moderate
