Introduce legislation to ensure incarcerated workers are paid at least the federal minimum wage, eliminate excessive wage deductions, and extend basic labor protections in correctional facilities nationwide.

Cory A. Booker · New Jersey · Democratic

policy impact 0.73 specificity 0.92 extraction confidence 98%

Occurrences

Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) reintroduced the Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act, legislation that would ensure incarcerated workers are paid at least the federal minimum wage, eliminate excessive wage deductions, and extend basic labor protections to workers in correctional facilities nationwide.

Booker reintroduced legislation to raise pay and expand labor protections for incarcerated workers nationwide.

Booker Reintroduces Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act
primary · press_release · model gpt-5.4-mini

Evidence

People reported that Booker reintroduced the Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act on March 19, 2026. The article says the bill would require incarcerated workers to receive the federal minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act and eliminate excessive deductions for fees, fines, and living costs in correctional facilities.

Shows Booker took the concrete step of reintroducing the bill in 2026, matching the promised legislative action.

delivered same_term A for effort

Kim Kardashian Says Prisoners Who Fought L.A. Wildfires Were Paid 'Just a Few Dollars,' and She Wants to Change That (Exclusive)
secondary · model gpt-5.4-mini · confidence 90%

Congress.gov records S.516, sponsored by Sen. Cory A. Booker and introduced on February 16, 2023, as a bill that would extend Fair Labor Standards Act minimum wage protections to incarcerated workers. The page still shows the measure in Introduced status after referral to the Senate HELP Committee.

Official congressional record confirms Booker introduced the bill, but it did not advance beyond introduction, leaving the broader policy unresolved.

unresolved same_term A for effort

S.516 - Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2023 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
secondary · model gpt-5.4-mini · confidence 97%

GovInfo identifies S.516 as introduced in the Senate on February 16, 2023 by Mr. Booker and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. The bill's stated purpose was to require Fair Labor Standards Act coverage for incarcerated workers.

Official bill text confirms Booker introduced legislation in the Senate that targeted FLSA coverage for incarcerated workers, directly satisfying the promise to introduce such legislation.

delivered same_term

S.516 - Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2023, Introduced in Senate | GovInfo
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 99%

The S.516 text would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act so the term employee includes incarcerated workers employed by public correctional agencies and private operators under public contract.

The official bill text matches the promised mechanism by extending basic federal labor-law coverage to incarcerated workers in correctional facilities.

delivered same_term

S.516 - Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2023, Introduced in Senate | GovInfo
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 98%

The S.516 text excludes board, lodging, other facilities, and court-imposed fees from amounts counted toward wages paid to incarcerated workers.

Official bill text shows the legislation addressed excessive wage deductions, a core element of the promise.

delivered same_term

S.516 - Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2023, Introduced in Senate | GovInfo
secondary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 98%

Booker's Senate office announced that he reintroduced the Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act on March 19, 2026, describing it as legislation to ensure federal minimum wage pay, eliminate excessive wage deductions, and extend basic labor protections in correctional facilities nationwide.

Official Senate press release confirms Booker renewed the same legislative effort in 2026 and describes the bill in terms that closely track the promise language.

delivered same_term

Booker Reintroduces Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act
primary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 96%

The press release lists two operative provisions: covering incarcerated workers under the federal minimum wage through FLSA amendments and eliminating excessive deductions for fees, fines, and basic living costs in correctional facilities.

Booker's office confirms the reintroduced bill contained the minimum-wage and wage-deduction components specified in the promise.

delivered same_term

Booker Reintroduces Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act
primary · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 95%

Assessments

delivered same_term

The promise was to introduce legislation, not necessarily enact the wage policy. Booker sponsored S.516 in 2023 and reintroduced the Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act in 2026 while serving the same Senate term. The bill language described in the evidence matches the promised components: federal minimum wage coverage for incarcerated workers, limits on excessive deductions, and extension of FLSA labor protections in correctional facilities nationwide.

provider codex_cli · model gpt-5.5 · confidence 98%

delivered same_term

Booker delivered the promised action by sponsoring and introducing the Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act in the Senate during his current term, including S.516 on February 16, 2023, and a reintroduction on March 19, 2026. The bill matched the core promise by seeking federal minimum-wage coverage for incarcerated workers and limits on excessive deductions. Because the claim was to introduce legislation, not to enact it, the fact that the measure did not pass does not undo delivery of the promise itself.

provider codex_cli · model gpt-5.4 · confidence 96%