I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7561 

To reduce the pay of Members of Congress when a mass shooting occurs 

in the United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 6, 2024 

Mr. CLEAVER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on 

Oversight and Accountability, 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 pay of Members of Congress when a mass 

shooting occurs in the United States, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘No Pay Until Peace 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REQUIRING WITHHOLDING OF PAY OF MEMBERS 

7 OF CONGRESS IF MASS SHOOTING OCCURS. 

8 (a) REDUCTION OF PAY.—If during any month of a 

9 year a mass shooting occurs in the United States, the anVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:21 Mar 12, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7561.IH H7561

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1 nual rate of pay applicable under section 601(a) of the 

2 Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501) 

3 with respect to each Member of Congress for the year shall 

4 be reduced by an amount equal to the product of— 

5 (1) an amount equal to one month’s worth of 

6 pay under such annual rate; and 

7 (2) the number of months during the year dur8 ing which a mass shooting occurs in the United 

9 States. 

10 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply with 

11 respect to days occurring after the date of the regularly 

12 scheduled general election for Federal office held in No13 vember 2024. 

14 SEC. 3. SPECIAL RULE FOR ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH 

15 CONGRESS. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

17 (1) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.—If a mass 

18 shooting occurs in the United States during a pay 

19 period occurring during a session of the One Hun20 dred Eighteenth Congress after the date of the en21 actment of this Act, the payroll administrator of 

22 each House of Congress shall— 

23 (A) deposit in an escrow account the com24 pensation for such pay period of each Member 


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1 of Congress who serves in that House of Con2 gress; and 

3 (B) release amounts deposited in an es4 crow account under subparagraph (A) to such 

5 Member of Congress on the last day of the One 

6 Hundred Eighteenth Congress. 

7 (2) WITHHOLDING AND REMITTANCE OF

8 AMOUNTS FROM PAYMENTS HELD IN ESCROW.—The 

9 payroll administrator of each House of Congress 

10 shall provide for the same withholding and remit11 tance with respect to a payment deposited in an es12 crow account under paragraph (1) that would apply 

13 to the payment if the payment were not subject to 

14 paragraph (1). 

15 (3) RELEASE OF AMOUNTS AT END OF THE

16 CONGRESS.—In order to ensure that this subsection 

17 is carried out in a manner that shall not vary the 

18 compensation of Senators or Representatives in vio19 lation of the twenty-seventh amendment to the Con20 stitution of the United States, the payroll adminis21 trator of a House of Congress shall release for pay22 ment to Members of that House of Congress any 

23 amounts remaining in any escrow account under this 

24 section on the last day of the One Hundred Eight25 eenth Congress. 


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1 (b) ROLE OF SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.—The 

2 Secretary of the Treasury shall provide the payroll admin3 istrator of each House of Congress with such assistance 

4 as may be necessary to enable the payroll administrator 

5 to carry out this subtitle. 

6 (c) EXCEPTION FOR DAYS OCCURRING AFTER GEN7 ERAL ELECTION.—This section does not apply with re8 spect to any pay period during the One Hundred Eight9 eenth Congress which occurs after the date of the regu10 larly scheduled general election for Federal office held in 

11 November 2024. 

12 (d) PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR DEFINED.—In this 

13 section, the term ‘‘payroll administrator’’, with respect to 

14 a House of Congress, means— 

15 (1) in the case of the House of Representatives, 

16 the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of 

17 Representatives, or an employee of the Office of the 

18 Chief Administrative Officer who is designated by 

19 the Chief Administrative Officer to carry out this 

20 Act; and 

21 (2) in the case of the Senate, the Secretary of 

22 the Senate, or an employee of the Office of the Sec23 retary of the Senate who is designated by the Sec24 retary to carry out this Act. 


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1 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act— 

3 (1) the term ‘‘mass shooting’’ means 4 or more 

4 injuries in a single incident by the use of a firearm 

5 (as defined in section 921 of title 18, United States 

6 Code); and 

7 (2) the term ‘‘Member of Congress’’ means an 

8 individual serving in a position under subparagraph 

9 (A), (B), or (C) of section 601(a) of the Legislative 

10 Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501). 

Æ 


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