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Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019

Public Law 116-1 · S. 24 · 116th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Jan 16, 2019 · Government Operations and Politics

Sponsor: Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)

Cosponsors (44): Sen. Susan Collins,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 411 yea, 7 nay411–7
  • SenateVoice vote
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019

This bill requires employees of the federal government or a District of Columbia public employer who are furloughed or required to work during a lapse in appropriations beginning on or after December 22, 2018, to be compensated for the period of the lapse. The employees must be compensated on the earliest date possible after the lapse ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates. Employees required to work during the lapse in appropriations may use leave.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 116th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 411 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

411 yea7 nay16 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(230)

Republicans who voted yea(181)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 27 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The record shows no committee referral for this bill.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

The record lists no related bills.

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.

  1. Jan 16, 2019Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-1.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Jan 14, 2019FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Jan 11, 2019FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 411 - 7 (Roll no. 28).House roll call 28
  6. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  7. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  8. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 24.
  9. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  10. FloorFloor · Mr. Cummings moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  11. Jan 10, 2019FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  12. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  13. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  14. FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
  15. Jan 4, 2019CalendarCalendar · Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 3.
  16. Jan 3, 2019CalendarCalendar · Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
  17. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.