II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1142 

To prohibit Members of Congress from receiving pay when the Federal Government is unable to make payments or meet obligations because the 

public debt limit has been reached. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 12, 2013 

Mrs. BOXER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To prohibit Members of Congress from receiving pay when 

the Federal Government is unable to make payments 

or meet obligations because the public debt limit has 

been reached. 

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 ‘‘Pay Your Bills or Lose 

5 Your Pay Act of 2013’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

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1 (1) It is an American value to meet all obliga2 tions. 

3 (2) A AAA credit rating is essential to the eco4 nomic standing of the United States in the world. 

5 (3) The statutory debt limit was increased— 

6 (A) 18 times during the presidency of Ron7 ald Reagan; 

8 (B) 5 times during the presidency of 

9 George H. W. Bush; 

10 (C) 6 times during the presidency of Wil11 liam J. Clinton; and 

12 (D) 7 times during the presidency of 

13 George W. Bush. 

14 (4) Section 4 of the 14th Amendment of the 

15 United States Constitution states ‘‘the validity of 

16 the public debt of the United States, authorized by 

17 law, including debts incurred for payment of pen18 sions and bounties for services in suppressing insur19 rection or rebellion, shall not be questioned’’. 

20 (5) The statutory debt limit is increased by 

21 Congress to pay financial obligations authorized by 

22 Congress. 

23 (6) The ratings agency Moody’s has called for 

24 the public debt limit to be eliminated. 

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1 (7) The United States is one of the few nations 

2 in the world with a public debt limit. 

3 (8) The annual budget resolution, voted on by 

4 members of the Senate and House of Representa5 tives, specifies the appropriate level of the public 

6 debt for each fiscal year covered by the resolution. 

7 (9) At times the statutory debt limit must be 

8 increased to honor financial obligations authorized 

9 and appropriated by Congress and the President of 

10 the United States. 

11 (10) The credit rating agency Standard and 

12 Poor’s downgraded the credit rating of the United 

13 States for the first time in its history on August 5, 

14 2011, citing ‘‘political brinksmanship’’ as a primary 

15 reason for its action. 

16 (11) In July 2012, the Government Account17 ability Office estimated that the 2011 debt limit 

18 standoff cost taxpayers $1,300,000,000 in fiscal 

19 year 2011, and the Government Accountability Of20 fice further noted that ‘‘Congress should consider 

21 ways to . . . avoid potential disruptions to the 

22 Treasury market and to help inform the fiscal policy 

23 debate in a timely way.’’. 

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1 (12) In January 2013, the Bipartisan Policy 

2 Center estimated that the 10-year cost to taxpayers 

3 of the 2011 debt limit standoff is $18,900,000,000. 

4 SEC. 3. HOLDING SALARIES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN 

5 ESCROW UPON FAILURE TO MEET DEBT OB6 LIGATIONS. 

7 (a) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—If the Federal Government 

9 is unable to make payments or meet obligations be10 cause the public debt limit under section 3101 of 

11 title 31, United States Code, has been reached, dur12 ing the period described in paragraph (2) the payroll 

13 administrator of each House of Congress shall de14 posit in an escrow account all payments otherwise 

15 required to be made during such period for the com16 pensation of Members of Congress who serve in that 

17 House of Congress, and shall release such payments 

18 to such Members only upon the expiration of such 

19 period. 

20 (2) PERIOD DESCRIBED.—The period described 

21 in this paragraph is the period beginning on the date 

22 on which the Federal Government is unable to make 

23 payments or meet obligations because the public 

24 debt limit under section 3101 of title 31, United 

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1 States Code, has been reached, and ending on the 

2 earlier of— 

3 (A) the date on which the House of Rep4 resentatives and the Senate present a bill to the 

5 President under article I, section 7 of the Con6 stitution of the United States, to increase the 

7 public debt limit under section 3101 of title 31, 

8 United States Code; or 

9 (B) the last day of the One Hundred Thir10 teenth Congress. 

11 (3) WITHHOLDING AND REMITTANCE OF

12 AMOUNTS FROM PAYMENTS HELD IN ESCROW.—The 

13 payroll administrator of each House of Congress 

14 shall provide for the same withholding and remit15 tance with respect to a payment deposited in an es16 crow account under paragraph (1) that would apply 

17 to the payment if the payment were not subject to 

18 paragraph (1). 

19 (4) RELEASE OF AMOUNTS AT END OF CON20 GRESS.—In order to ensure that this section is car21 ried out in a manner that shall not vary the com22 pensation of Senators or Representatives in violation 

23 of the 27th Amendment to the Constitution of the 

24 United States, the payroll administrator of a House 

25 of Congress shall release for payments to Members 

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1 of that House of Congress any amounts remaining 

2 in any escrow account under this section on the last 

3 day of the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress. 

4 (5) ROLE OF SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.— 

5 The Secretary of the Treasury shall provide the pay6 roll administrators of the Houses of Congress with 

7 such assistance as may be necessary to enable the 

8 payroll administrators to carry out this section. 

9 (b) TREATMENT OF DELEGATES AS MEMBERS.—In 

10 this section, the term ‘‘Member’’ includes a Delegate or 

11 Resident Commissioner to Congress. 

12 (c) PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR DEFINED.—In this 

13 section, the ‘‘payroll administrator’’ of a House of Con14 gress 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 section; 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 section. 

Æ 

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