I 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 3774 

To reduce the salaries of Members of Congress and the amounts available 

for the salaries and expenses of offices of Members, committees, and 

the leadership of Congress by 50 percent, to provide for further reductions in the salaries of Members of Congress to the extent that Congress 

is in session for more than 60 days during any session of a Congress, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 17, 2012 

Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, Rules, and Ethics, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To reduce the salaries of Members of Congress and the 

amounts available for the salaries and expenses of offices 

of Members, committees, and the leadership of Congress 

by 50 percent, to provide for further reductions in the 

salaries of Members of Congress to the extent that Congress is in session for more than 60 days during any 

session of a Congress, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Citizen Legislator Act 

3 of 2012’’. 

4 SEC. 2. 50 PERCENT REDUCTION IN MEMBER SALARIES 

5 AND IN EXPENSES FOR MEMBER OFFICES, 

6 LEADERSHIP OFFICES, AND COMMITTEES. 

7 (a) MEMBER SALARIES.—Section 601(a)(1) of the 

8 Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 31(1)) 

9 by striking the matter following subparagraph (C) and in10 serting the following: ‘‘shall be 50 percent of the rate de11 termined for such positions for pay periods occurring dur12 ing fiscal year 2012, as adjusted by paragraph (2).’’ 

13 (b) SALARIES AND EXPENSES OF HOUSE OFFICES.— 

14 (1) MEMBERS REPRESENTATIONAL ALLOW15 ANCE.—Section 101 of the House of Representatives 

16 Administrative Reform Technical Corrections Act (2 

17 U.S.C. 57b) is amended— 

18 (A) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub19 section (f); and 

20 (B) by inserting after subsection (d) the 

21 following new subsection: 

22 ‘‘(e) LIMITATION ON AGGREGATE AMOUNT.—During 

23 fiscal year 2012 and each succeeding fiscal year, the ag24 gregate amount appropriated or otherwise made available 

25 for all Members’ Representational Allowances may not ex26 ceed 50 percent of the aggregate amount appropriated or 


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1 otherwise made available for such Allowances for fiscal 

2 year 2012.’’. 

3 (2) HOUSE LEADERSHIP OFFICES.—During fis4 cal year 2013 and each succeeding fiscal year, the 

5 aggregate amount appropriated or otherwise made 

6 available for the salaries and expenses of House 

7 leadership offices may not exceed 50 percent of the 

8 aggregate amount appropriated or otherwise made 

9 available for the salaries and expenses of such offices 

10 for fiscal year 2012. For purposes of this paragraph, 

11 the term ‘‘House leadership office’’ means, with re12 spect to any fiscal year, an office of the House of 

13 Representatives for which the appropriation for sala14 ries and expenses of the office for the year involved 

15 is provided under the heading ‘‘House Leadership 

16 Offices’’ in the act making appropriations for the 

17 Legislative Branch for the fiscal year involved. 

18 (3) HOUSE COMMITTEES.—During fiscal year 

19 2013 and each succeeding fiscal year, the aggregate 

20 amount appropriated or otherwise made available for 

21 the salaries and expenses of committees of the 

22 House of Representatives, including joint committees 

23 for which the amounts disbursed for salaries and ex24 penses are disbursed by the Chief Administrative Of25 ficer of the House of Representatives, may not exVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:23 Jan 18, 2012 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3774.IH H3774

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1 ceed 50 percent of the aggregate amount appro2 priated or otherwise made available for the salaries 

3 and expenses of such committees for fiscal year 

4 2012. 

5 (c) SALARIES AND EXPENSES OF SENATE OF6 FICES.— 

7 (1) PERSONAL OFFICES.—During fiscal year 

8 2013 and each succeeding fiscal year, the aggregate 

9 amount appropriated or otherwise made available for 

10 the salaries and expenses of offices of Senators may 

11 not exceed 50 percent of the aggregate amount ap12 propriated or otherwise made available for the sala13 ries and expenses of such offices for fiscal year 

14 2012. 

15 (2) SENATE LEADERSHIP OFFICES.—During 

16 fiscal year 2013 and each succeeding fiscal year, the 

17 aggregate amount appropriated or otherwise made 

18 available for the salaries and expenses of Senate 

19 leadership offices may not exceed 50 percent of the 

20 aggregate amount appropriated or otherwise made 

21 available for the salaries and expenses of such offices 

22 for fiscal year 2012. For purposes of this paragraph, 

23 the term ‘‘Senate leadership offices’’ means the of24 fices of the President pro Tempore, Majority and 

25 Minority Leaders, Majority and Minority Whips, 


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1 Conferences of the Majority and of the Minority, 

2 and Majority and Minority Policy Committees of the 

3 Senate. 

4 (3) SENATE COMMITTEES.—During fiscal year 

5 2013 and each succeeding fiscal year, the aggregate 

6 amount appropriated or otherwise made available for 

7 the salaries and expenses of committees of the Sen8 ate, including joint committees for which the 

9 amounts disbursed for salaries and expenses are dis10 bursed by the Secretary of the Senate, may not ex11 ceed 50 percent of the aggregate amount appro12 priated or otherwise made available for the salaries 

13 and expenses of such committees for fiscal year 

14 2012. 

15 SEC. 3. REDUCTION IN MEMBER SALARIES FOR YEARS 

16 DURING WHICH CONGRESS EXCEEDS 60 DAYS 

17 IN SESSION. 

18 Section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act 

19 of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 31) is amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (1), in the matter following 

21 subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and 

22 inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) and (3)’’; and 

23 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

24 paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(3) REDUCTION FOR EXCEEDING 60 DAYS IN

2 SESSION.— 

3 ‘‘(A) REDUCTION.—For every 5 days on 

4 which a House of Congress is in session during 

5 a session of a Congress, each annual rate re6 ferred to in paragraph (1) which applies to 

7 members of that House shall be reduced by 10 

8 percent. 

9 ‘‘(B) EXEMPTION FOR FIRST 60 DAYS AND

10 PRO FORMA SESSIONS.—In determining the 

11 number of days on which a House of Congress 

12 is in session during a session of a Congress for 

13 purposes of subparagraph (A), there shall be 

14 excluded— 

15 ‘‘(i) the first 60 days on which that 

16 House is in session; and 

17 ‘‘(ii) any day on which that House is 

18 in session solely on a pro forma basis.’’. 

19 SEC. 4. REMOVAL OF LIMITATION ON OUTSIDE EARNED IN20 COME FOR MEMBERS, DELEGATES, AND THE 

21 RESIDENT COMMISSIONER. 

22 (a) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—(1) Clause 1(a) 

23 of rule XXV of the Rules of the House of Representatives 

24 is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘1.(a)(1) Except as provided by paragraph (b), an 

2 officer or employee of the House may not have outside 

3 earned income attributable to a calendar year that exceeds 

4 15 percent of the annual rate of basic pay for level II of 

5 the Executive Schedule under section 5313 of title 5, 

6 United States Code, as of January 1 of that calendar year. 

7 ‘‘(2) A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, 

8 officer, or employee of the House may not receive any hon9 orarium, except that an officer or employee of the House 

10 who is paid at a rate less than 120 percent of the min11 imum rate of basic pay for GS–15 of the General Schedule 

12 may receive an honorarium unless the subject matter is 

13 directly related to the official duties of the individual, the 

14 payment is made because of the status of the individual 

15 with the House, or the person offering the honorarium has 

16 interests that may be substantially affected by the per17 formance or nonperformance of the official duties of the 

18 individual.’’. 

19 (2) Clause 1(b) of rule XXV of the Rules of the 

20 House of Representatives is amended by striking ‘‘a Mem21 ber, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or em22 ployee’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘an officer or 

23 employee’’. 

24 (3) Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Rep25 resentatives is amended by redesignating clause 18 as 


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1 clause 19 and by inserting after clause 17 the following 

2 new clause: 

3 ‘‘17. A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, 

4 officer, or employee of the House may not derive any out5 side income as a result of the privilege of their office.’’. 

6 (b) SENATE.—(1) Paragraph 5 of rule XXXVII of 

7 the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended— 

8 (A) in subparagraph (a), by striking ‘‘Member, 

9 officer, or employee’’ and inserting ‘‘officer or em10 ployee’’; and 

11 (B) in subparagraph (b), by striking ‘‘Member 

12 or’’. 

13 (2) Paragraph 6 of rule XXXVII of the Standing 

14 Rules of the Senate is amended— 

15 (A) in subparagraph (a), by striking ‘‘Member, 

16 officer, or employee’’ each place it appears and in17 serting ‘‘officer or employee’’; and 

18 (B) in subparagraph (b), by striking ‘‘A Mem19 ber or an’’ and inserting ‘‘An’’. 

20 SEC. 5. RESTORATION OF ELECTION OF MEMBERS NOT TO 

21 PARTICIPATE IN FEDERAL EMPLOYEES’ RE22 TIREMENT SYSTEM. 

23 Section 8401(20) of title 5, United States Code, is 

24 amended by striking all that follows ‘‘System’’ and insert25 ing a semicolon. 


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1 SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

2 This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall 

3 take effect January 1, 2013. 

Æ 


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