WATCH Personnel Act of 2026

(a) In general. The Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration shall—

(1) not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, set the minimum annual salary for a Transportation Security Officer to $40,000 for fiscal year 2026; and

(2) for fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter, adjust the minimum annual salary for a Transportation Security Officer as provided by subsection (b).

(b) Adjustment of salary for inflation

(1) In general. The Administrator shall adjust the minimum annual salary for a Transportation Security Officer, on October 1, 2026, and at the beginning of each fiscal year thereafter, to reflect the percentage (if any) of the increase in the average of the Consumer Price Index for the preceding 12-month period compared to the Consumer Price Index for fiscal year 2026.

(2) Special rules for calculation of adjustment. In adjusting under paragraph (1) the minimum annual salary for a Transportation Security Officer, the Administrator—

(A) shall round the amount of any increase in the Consumer Price Index to the nearest dollar; and

(B) may ignore any such increase of less than 1 percent.

(3) Consumer price index defined. In this subsection, the term Consumer Price Index means the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.