WATCH Personnel Act of 2026

Summary of S.4422 — WATCH Personnel Act of 2026 (119th Congress)

Purpose and intent

• Provides continuing appropriations to maintain essential Transportation Security Administration (TSA) pay and operations during a lapse in fiscal year 2026 funding, beginning February 14, 2026.
• Establishes higher pay rates for TSA personnel and a one-time retention bonus to address potential staffing shortfalls during the lapse.
• Triggers a temporary framework that ends when regular appropriations are enacted or by September 30, 2026, whichever occurs first.

Key provisions and changes

1) Higher pay for TSA personnel (Section 2)
- Minimum salary for Transportation Security Officers (TSOs):
- By no later than 90 days after enactment: set minimum annual salary to $40,000 for FY 2026.
- For FY 2027 and each subsequent year: salary adjustments using CPI-based increases (see inflation adjustments below).
- Inflation-based salary adjustments (to occur on October 1, 2026 and each fiscal year thereafter):
- Adjust the TSO minimum annual salary to reflect the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the prior 12 months versus FY 2026 CPI.
- Calculation rules:
- Increase amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.
- Increases of less than 1% may be ignored (i.e., not required to implement tiny increases).
- CPI reference: Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2) Continuing appropriations for TSA personnel during the lapse (Section 3)
- FY 2026 funding to cover:
- Normal pay, allowances, pay differentials, benefits, and other regular compensation for TSA employees during the lapse.
- A $10,000 bonus to each TSA officer employed and working as of February 14, 2026.
- Bonus treatment:
- The $10,000 bonus is not considered basic pay for retirement, life insurance, or other employee benefits.
- Limits during lapse:
- Amounts provided cannot be used to pay other employees beyond TSA or to pay different types of compensation to employees during the lapse beyond amounts specified.
- Charge to future appropriations:
- Expenditures made under this section will be charged to the applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization when the related regular appropriations act is enacted.

3) Terms and conditions (Section 3, subsection e)
- Pay and benefits provided under this section are subject to the same requirements, authorities, and limitations as those applicable to TSA pay and benefits under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (Public Law 119-4).

4) Termination (Section 4)
- The temporary provisions end when the first of the following occurs:
- An appropriation (regular or continuing) for TSA is enacted into law.
- A regular or continuing appropriations resolution or other Act without any TSA appropriation is enacted.
- September 30, 2026.

5) Retroactive effective date (Section 5)
- Effective retroactively to February 13, 2026, as if enacted on that date.

Who and what is affected

• Affected entity: Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and its workforce (notably Transportation Security Officers).
• Beneficiaries: TSA personnel who would receive the higher $40,000 minimum salary for FY 2026, inflation-adjusted increases thereafter, and the $10,000 signing/retention-like bonus for those employed as of February 14, 2026.
• Impacts on budgeting: Creates a temporary funding mechanism to pay salaries, benefits, and bonuses during a lapse in appropriations, with expenditures charged to future appropriations once enacted.

Procedural and timeline notes

• Introduced and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on April 28, 2026.
• Effective date is retroactive to February 13, 2026; provisions apply during the lapse beginning February 14, 2026, until termination conditions are met (as described above).
• The act anticipates that higher TSA pay and the temporary funding would be superseded by a subsequent regular or continuing appropriation for TSA funding.

Notable details

• The minimum FY 2026 TSO salary is set at $40,000, with automatic CPI-based increases starting October 1, 2026.
• A $10,000 one-time bonus is provided to each TSA officer as of February 14, 2026, but it does not count toward retirement or other benefits.
• The bill imposes safeguards to ensure funds are used only during the lapse and are charged to future appropriations when they are enacted.

This summary focuses on the bill’s core aims: ensuring TSA pay and operations continuity during a funding lapse, providing a higher baseline pay floor, annual inflation adjustments, and a one-time bonus to support retention and staffing.