What does Preamble of True Shutdown Fairness Act do?

This bill, formally titled 'To appropriate funds for pay and allowances of Federal employees during the lapse in appropriations that began on October 1, 2025, and for other purposes,' aims to provide funding for federal employee pay and allowances during a lapse in appropriations. The bill was introduced in the Senate on October 23, 2025, by Mr. Van Hollen and several co-sponsors.

What does SHORT TITLE. of True Shutdown Fairness Act do?

This bill is formally titled the True Shutdown Fairness Act.

What does APPROPRIATIONS. of True Shutdown Fairness Act do?

This section establishes appropriations for agencies experiencing a covered lapse in appropriations. It defines key terms including 'agency,' 'covered individual,' 'covered lapse in appropriations,' and 'termination date.' Covered individuals include employees of agencies, contractors supporting those employees, members of the Armed Forces, and members of reserve components performing active duty or training during the lapse. Appropriations are made available for fiscal year 2026 to provide standard rates of pay, allowances, benefits, and other payments to covered individuals. These appropriations are available until the termination date, which is when appropriations are enacted for the agency or when appropriations are enacted without specific funding for the lapse. Expenditures made under this section will be charged to future appropriations. This section has a retroactive effective date of September 30, 2025.

What does LIMITATION ON REDUCTIONS IN FORCE. of True Shutdown Fairness Act do?

This section defines 'agency' and 'covered lapse in appropriations' using the definitions in section 2(a). During a covered lapse in appropriations, funds cannot be used to propose or implement reductions in force or similar efforts to permanently reduce agency employees. Funds also cannot be used to place agency employees on administrative leave for more than 10 work days in a calendar year. This section does not affect voluntary separation payments offered to employees under section 3523 of title 5, United States Code.

Back to bills

True Shutdown Fairness Act

Last updated: 10/23/2025 · Introduced: 10/23/2025

Author: Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

TL;DR (AI)

This bill provides funding for federal employee pay, allowances, and benefits during a lapse in appropriations, retroactively effective as of September 30, 2025.
The bill prohibits agencies from implementing reductions in force or placing employees on administrative leave for extended periods during a government shutdown.
The appropriations established by this bill are available until regular appropriations are enacted or until a specific termination date is reached, with expenditures charged to future appropriations.

119th Congressin committeeOfficial page

Verified Votes

No verified votes yet.

Community Votes

No community votes yet. Be the first!

Voting as guest · Sign in for verified votes

Other Sections

Includes provisions on preamble, short title., and 2 more.

4 sections

Click "Show details" to explore individual sections. Use the community vote above or visit All Sections to vote per section.

Read official text

Want the full experience?

Create a free account to cast verified votes on each section, get a personalized summary, and track your voting history.

Create Free Account