Congressional Pay for Performance Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Congressional Pay for Performance 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    For the purpose of this Act--
            (1) the term ``Federal deficit'' or ``deficit'' means, with 
        respect to any fiscal year, the amount by which total budget 
        outlays of the Government for such fiscal year exceed total 
        revenues of the Government for such fiscal year;
            (2) the term ``Member of Congress'' means an individual 
        serving in a position referred to in section 601(a)(1) of the 
        Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 31(1)); and
            (3) the term ``year'' means a calendar year.

SEC. 3. TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF USUAL PAY ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURES.

    Subject to section 5, rates of basic pay for Members of Congress 
shall not be adjusted except in accordance with section 4.

SEC. 4. TEMPORARY ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURES.

    (a) In General.--Effective as of the first day of the first 
applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1st of each year, 
the rate of basic pay for each Member of Congress shall be reduced by 
the percentage derived by multiplying the applicable factor under 
subsection (b) for such year by the applicable factor under subsection 
(c) for such year.
    (b) Factor Reflecting Magnitude of the Deficit.--The applicable 
factor under this subsection for any year is the number of hundreds of 
billions of dollars to which the Federal deficit is equal, as 
determined under subsection (d) with respect to such year.
    (c) Factor Reflecting Degree of Success in Reducing or Eliminating 
the Deficit.--The applicable factor under this subsection for any year 
shall be determined in accordance with the following:
            (1) For the first year beginning on or after the effective 
        date of this Act, the applicable factor under this subsection 
        is 2 percent.
            (2) For each year thereafter, the applicable factor under 
        this subsection is--
                    (A) the same percentage as was applicable under 
                this subsection in the previous year, if the deficit 
                for the year in question is at least $100,000,000,000 
                less than--
                            (i) the size of the deficit for the year 
                        referred to in paragraph (1), or
                            (ii) the lowest level attained in the 
                        deficit for any year after the year referred to 
                        in paragraph (1),
                whichever is less; or
                    (B) 2 times the percentage which was applicable 
                under this subsection in the previous year, if 
                subparagraph (A) does not apply.
    (d) Determining the Size of the Deficit.--For the purpose of any 
determination under this Act, the size or level of the Federal deficit 
for any year--
            (1) shall be equal to the size or level of the deficit for 
        the fiscal year ending on the September 30th immediately 
        preceding the start of such year; and
            (2) shall be rounded to the nearest multiple of 
        $100,000,000,000 (or, if midway between multiples of 
        $100,000,000,000, to the next higher multiple of 
        $100,000,000,000).
    (e) Limitation.--Nothing in this Act shall have the effect of 
reducing any rate of basic pay below $1.
    (f) Suspension in Time of War.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), upon the 
        enactment of a declaration of war--
                    (A) subsections (a) through (d) shall be suspended; 
                and
                    (B) any subsequent reduction in rates of basic pay 
                for Members of Congress under such subsections shall be 
                precluded.
            (2) Restoration.--In the event of a suspension of 
        subsections (a) through (d) due to a declaration of war, then, 
        effective with the first year that begins in the session after 
        the state of war is concluded by Senate ratification of the 
        necessary treaties--
                    (A) the provisions of subsections (a) through (d) 
                shall be restored to full force and effect, and any 
                adjustment scheduled to take effect on or after the 
                first day of such year shall be implemented in 
                accordance with such provisions; and
                    (B) the initial rate of basic pay for a Member of 
                Congress (before the implementation of any adjustment 
                referred to in subparagraph (A)) shall be equal to the 
                rate of basic pay in effect for such a Member as of the 
                day before the effective date of this Act.

SEC. 5. EFFECT OF ELIMINATING THE DEFICIT.

    (a) In General.--Effective as of the first day of the first 
applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1st of the first 
year with respect to which the deficit is determined to have been 
eliminated--
            (1) the provisions of law suspended by section 2 
        (disregarding subsection (f) thereof) shall be restored to full 
        force and effect, and any adjustment scheduled to take effect 
        on or after such first day under such provisions shall be 
        implemented in accordance with such provisions;
            (2) the initial rate of basic pay for a Member of Congress 
        (before the implementation of any adjustment referred to in 
        paragraph (1)) shall be equal to 2 times the rate of basic pay 
        in effect for such a Member as of the effective date of this 
        Act.
            (3) the provisions of section 4 shall cease to be 
        effective.
    (b) Rule Relating to Determining When the Deficit Has Been 
Eliminated.--
            (1) In general.--For the purpose of this Act, the deficit 
        shall be considered to have been eliminated as of the start of 
        the first year for which the applicable factor under section 
        4(b) would be less than 1.
            (2) No tax increase.--The condition under paragraph (1) 
        shall be considered unmet if there is enacted, after the 
        effective date of this Act, any legislation that reduces the 
        Federal deficit by changing the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    (a) In General.--This Act shall take effect on January 1st of the 
first year beginning after the first election of Representatives 
following the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (b) Definition.--For the purpose of subsection (a), the term 
``election of Representatives'' has the meaning given such term by 
225(i)(4)(B) of the Federal Salary Act of 1967 (2 U.S.C. 359(4)(B)).

Summary: Congressional Pay for Performance Act - Suspends basic pay adjustments for Members of Congress, and requires pay reductions, until the deficit is reduced to below $50,000,000,000 without the enactment of any change in the Internal Revenue Code. Requires an annual reduction in pay by a percentage equal to: (1) two percent times the number of hundreds of billions of dollars of the deficit in the first year after enactment. Or (2) twice that percentage for any year following a year for which the deficit is not at least $100,000,000,000 less than the lowest level attained after enactment of this Act. Suspends pay reductions upon enactment of a declaration of war and reinstates them when the state of war is concluded. Restores pay adjustment procedures suspended by this Act, and provides for a rate of basic pay of twice the rate in effect as of the effective date of this Act, for the first year with respect to which the deficit is less than $50,000,000,000.