--- title: HR 1858. Georgia's congressional delegation; pass the Essential Worker Pay Protection Act and codify permanent protections for essential federal employees during government shutdowns; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1858 cite_as: HR 1858, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1858 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1858.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1858/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74352 date: 2026-03-27 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1857.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1859.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1858.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1858 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-23 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Viola Davis - Sandra Scott - Kim Schofield text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1858/2025 upstream_id: 2137368 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - government shutdowns - federal workers - congressional delegation - worker pay protections --- # HR 1858. Georgia's congressional delegation; pass the Essential Worker Pay Protection Act and codify permanent protections for essential federal employees during government shutdowns; urge ## Text House Resolution 1858 By: Representatives Davis of the 87th, Scott of the 76th, and Schofield of the 63rd A RESOLUTION Urging Georgia's congressional delegation to pass the Essential Worker Pay Protection Act and codify permanent protections for essential federal employees during government shutdowns; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, this resolution shall be known and may be cited as "The Essential Worker Pay Protection Resolution"; and WHEREAS, federal government shutdowns create significant hardship for essential federal employees, including air traffic controllers, law enforcement officers, military personnel, security forces, TSA security officers, and federal medical staff, who are often required to work without pay until appropriations are restored; and WHEREAS, these workers provide critical services that ensure public safety, national security, transportation stability, and healthcare continuity for millions of Americans, including residents of the State of Georgia; and WHEREAS, requiring essential employees to continue working without timely compensation places undue financial strain on working families and undermines workforce morale and stability; and WHEREAS, delayed or withheld pay during federal shutdowns disproportionately impacts middle– and lower-income households, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck and cannot absorb interruptions in income; and WHEREAS, federal shutdowns are a recurring issue, demonstrating a systemic failure to protect the financial security of essential workers who are required to report to duty regardless of political impasse; and WHEREAS, members of the Georgia General Assembly, including Representatives Viola Davis, Kim Schofield, and Sandra G. Scott, have called upon Georgia's federal congressional delegation to take immediate action to protect essential workers; and WHEREAS, the proposed Essential Worker Pay Protection Act of 2025 would ensure that essential federal employees continue to receive their pay during any government shutdown and guarantee backpay for all affected workers once operations resume; and WHEREAS, it is both a moral obligation and a matter of sound public policy to ensure that those who serve the nation are not subjected to financial instability due to lapses in federal appropriations. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body urge Georgia's congressional delegation to introduce and pass the Essential Worker Pay Protection Act of 2025, ensuring uninterrupted pay for essential federal employees during any government shutdown; guarantee retroactive backpay for all furloughed or unpaid federal workers once government operations resume; and establish permanent federal protections that prevent essential workers from being required to work without compensation during future shutdowns. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the members of the Georgia Congressional Delegation. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution urges Georgia's members of Congress to pass a federal Essential Worker Pay Protection Act guaranteeing pay for essential federal workers during government shutdowns. ### Plain-language summary Federal government shutdowns can force essential workers like air traffic controllers, TSA officers, law enforcement, military personnel, and federal medical staff to keep working without pay until Congress restores funding. This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives does not change any Georgia law. Instead, it formally asks Georgia's congressional delegation in Washington to introduce and pass a federal bill called the Essential Worker Pay Protection Act of 2025. The resolution asks that this federal law guarantee uninterrupted pay for essential federal employees during any shutdown, require retroactive backpay for furloughed or unpaid workers once the government reopens, and create permanent protections so workers are never again required to work without pay during a shutdown. The Clerk of the House is directed to send copies of the resolution to Georgia's members of Congress. ### What it does - Urges Georgia's congressional delegation to introduce and pass the federal Essential Worker Pay Protection Act of 2025. - Calls for the federal act to ensure essential federal employees receive uninterrupted pay during any government shutdown. - Calls for guaranteed retroactive backpay for furloughed or unpaid federal workers once shutdowns end. - Calls for permanent federal protections preventing essential workers from having to work without pay in future shutdowns. - Directs the Clerk of the House to distribute copies of the resolution to members of Georgia's congressional delegation. ### Who it affects Essential federal employees such as air traffic controllers, law enforcement officers, military personnel, security forces, TSA officers, and federal medical staff, particularly those working in or serving Georgia, along with Georgia's members of the U.S. House and Senate, who are the target of this request. ### Why it matters The resolution itself changes no law; it is a formal request from the Georgia House to Congress. If Congress acted on it, essential federal workers in Georgia and nationwide could avoid working without pay during shutdowns and would be guaranteed backpay once funding resumes. ### Key provisions - The resolution names itself 'The Essential Worker Pay Protection Resolution' in its opening whereas clause. - It recites that federal shutdowns force essential workers to work without timely pay, harming financial stability, especially for middle and lower-income households. - The operative resolving clause urges Georgia's congressional delegation to pass the Essential Worker Pay Protection Act of 2025. - It specifies the requested federal law should ensure uninterrupted pay, guarantee retroactive backpay, and establish permanent protections against unpaid work during shutdowns. - The final clause directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to Georgia's Congressional Delegation. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-03-23) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-27) - Sponsors: Viola Davis, Sandra Scott, Kim Schofield - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74352 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1858.md?full=1