Help FEDS Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. 2948 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2948 To amend section 303 of the Social Security Act to require States to provide unemployment compensation benefits to Federal employees during a government shutdown, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 30, 2025 Ms. Alsobrooks (for herself, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Warner, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Schatz, and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend section 303 of the Social Security Act to require States to provide unemployment compensation benefits to Federal employees during a government shutdown, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Help Federal Employees During Shutdowns Act'' or the ``Help FEDS Act''. SEC. 2. REGULAR COMPENSATION REQUIRED FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES DURING A SHUTDOWN. Section 303 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 503) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(n)(1) For purposes of subsection (a), the unemployment compensation law of a State must-- ``(A) allow for excepted Federal employees to apply for and receive unemployment compensation for any week in which such employee is performing emergency work (as such term is defined by the Office of Personnel Management) during a lapse in appropriations during fiscal year 2026 or 2027; ``(B) in the case that an excepted Federal employee receives pay under section 1341(c)(2) of title 31, United States Code, for any period in which such employee received compensation pursuant to subparagraph (A), require such an excepted Federal employ