I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7819 
To ensure that the percentage increase in rates of basic pay for prevailing 
wage employees shall be equal to the percentage increase received by 
other Federal employees in the same pay locality, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 26, 2024 
Mr. CARTWRIGHT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Oversight and Accountability 
A BILL 
To ensure that the percentage increase in rates of basic 
pay for prevailing wage employees shall be equal to the 
percentage increase received by other Federal employees 
in the same pay locality, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. ADJUSTMENTS TO RATES OF BASIC PAY OF 
PREVAILING RATE EMPLOYEES. 
(a) LIMITATION ON ADJUSTMENTS.— 
(1) PREVAILING RATE EMPLOYEES OF AGEN-
CIES.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
and except as otherwise provided in this section, a 
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prevailing rate employee described in section 
5342(a)(2)(A) of title 5, United States Code, may 
not be paid— 
(A) during the period beginning on Janu-
ary 1, 2025, and ending on the normal effective 
date of the applicable wage survey adjustment 
that is to take effect in fiscal year 2025, in an 
amount that exceeds the rate payable for the 
applicable grade and step of the applicable wage 
schedule in accordance with section 5343 of 
title 5, United States Code; and 
(B) during the period beginning on the day 
after the end of the period described in sub-
paragraph (A) and ending on September 30, 
2024, in an amount that exceeds, as a result of 
a wage survey adjustment, the rate payable 
under subparagraph (A) by more than the sum 
of— 
(i) the percentage adjustment taking 
effect in fiscal year 2025 under section 
5303 of title 5, United States Code, in the 
rates of pay under the General Schedule; 
and 
(ii) the difference between the overall 
average percentage of the locality-based 
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comparability payments taking effect in 
fiscal year 2025 under section 5304 of 
such title (whether by adjustment or other-
wise), and the overall average percentage 
of such payments which was effective in 
the previous fiscal year under such section. 
(2) OTHER
PREVAILING
RATE
EMPLOYEES.— 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no pre-
vailing rate employee described in subparagraph (B) 
or (C) of section 5342(a)(2) of title 5, United States 
Code, and no employee covered by section 5348 of 
such title, may be paid during the periods for which 
paragraph (1) is in effect at a rate that exceeds the 
rates that would be payable under paragraph (1) 
were paragraph (1) applicable to such employee. 
(3) EMPLOYEES
PAID
FROM
NEW
SCHED-
ULES.—For the purposes of this subsection, the 
rates payable to an employee who is covered by this 
subsection and who is paid from a schedule not in 
existence on September 30, 2024, shall be deter-
mined under regulations prescribed by the Office of 
Personnel Management. 
(4) RATES OF PREMIUM PAY.—Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, rates of premium pay 
under subchapter V of chapter 55 of title 5, United 
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States Code, for employees subject to this subsection 
may not be changed from the rates in effect on Sep-
tember 30, 2024, except to the extent determined by 
the Office of Personnel Management to be consistent 
with the purpose of this subsection. 
(5) PERIOD COVERED.—This subsection shall 
apply with respect to pay for service performed on 
or after the first day of the first applicable pay pe-
riod beginning after December 31, 2024. 
(6) TREATMENT
UNDER
OTHER
LAWS.—For 
the purpose of administering any provision of law 
(including any rule or regulation that provides pre-
mium pay, retirement, life insurance, or any other 
employee benefit) that requires any deduction or 
contribution, or that imposes any requirement or 
limitation on the basis of a rate of salary or basic 
pay, the rate of salary or basic pay payable after the 
application of this subsection shall be treated as the 
rate of salary or basic pay. 
(7) LIMITATIONS.—Nothing in this subsection 
shall be considered to permit or require the payment 
to any employee covered by this subsection at a rate 
in excess of the rate that would be payable were this 
subsection not in effect. 
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(8) EXCEPTIONS.—The Office of Personnel 
Management may provide for exceptions to the limi-
tations imposed by this subsection if the Office de-
termines that such exceptions are necessary to en-
sure the recruitment or retention of qualified em-
ployees. 
(b) COMPARABILITY OF ADJUSTMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsection 
(a), effective as of the first day of the first applica-
ble pay period beginning after December 31, 2024, 
the percentage increase in rates of basic pay for the 
statutory pay systems under sections 5344 and 5348 
of title 5, United States Code, that takes place in 
fiscal year 2025 shall be not less than the percent-
age increase received by employees in the same pay 
locality whose rates of basic pay are adjusted under 
sections 5303 and 5304 of title 5, United States 
Code. 
(2) PAY LOCALITIES.—For the purposes of this 
subsection, prevailing rate employees in localities 
where there are no employees whose pay is increased 
pursuant to sections 5303 and 5304 of title 5, 
United States Code, and prevailing rate employees 
described in section 5343(a)(5) of title 5, United 
States Code, shall be considered to be located in the 
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pay locality designated as ‘‘Rest of United States’’ 
under section 5304 of title 5, United States Code. 
Æ 
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