I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1178 

To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for automatic continuing 

appropriations, to withhold the pay of Members of Congress during 

any period in which such automatic continuing appropriations are in 

effect, to prohibit the use of funds for the official travel of Members 

of Congress during any period in which such automatic continuing appropriations are in effect, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 13, 2019 

Mr. SPANO (for himself and Mr. WALTZ) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the 

Committee on House Administration, 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 amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for automatic continuing appropriations, to withhold the pay of 

Members of Congress during any period in which such 

automatic continuing appropriations are in effect, to prohibit the use of funds for the official travel of Members 

of Congress during any period in which such automatic 

continuing appropriations are in effect, 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 ‘‘Deadline Enforcement 

3 Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. AUTOMATIC CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 13 of title 31, United 

6 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1310 

7 the following new section: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 1311. CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS. 

9 ‘‘(a)(1) If any appropriation measure for a fiscal year 

10 is not enacted before the beginning of such fiscal year or 

11 a joint resolution making continuing appropriations is not 

12 in effect, there are appropriated such sums as may be nec13 essary to continue any program, project, or activity for 

14 which funds were provided in the preceding fiscal year— 

15 ‘‘(A) in the corresponding appropriation Act for 

16 such preceding fiscal year; or 

17 ‘‘(B) if the corresponding appropriation bill for 

18 such preceding fiscal year did not become law, then 

19 in a joint resolution making continuing appropria20 tions for such preceding fiscal year. 

21 ‘‘(2)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (C), ap22 propriations and funds made available, and authority 

23 granted, for a program, project, or activity for any fiscal 

24 year pursuant to this section shall be at a rate of oper25 ations not in excess of the lower of— 


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1 ‘‘(i) 99 percent of the rate of operations provided for 

2 in the regular appropriation Act providing for such pro3 gram, project, or activity for the preceding fiscal year; 

4 ‘‘(ii) in the absence of such an Act, 99 percent of 

5 the rate of operations provided for such program, project, 

6 or activity pursuant to a joint resolution making con7 tinuing appropriations for such preceding fiscal year; or 

8 ‘‘(iii) 99 percent of the annualized rate of operations 

9 provided for in the most recently enacted joint resolution 

10 making continuing appropriations for part of that fiscal 

11 year or any funding levels established under the provisions 

12 of this section. 

13 ‘‘(B) Except as provided in subparagraph (C), after 

14 the first 30-day period during which this subsection is in 

15 effect for that fiscal year, the applicable rate of operations 

16 as provided under subparagraph (A) shall be reduced by 

17 1 percentage point. For each subsequent 30-day period 

18 during which this subsection is in effect for that fiscal 

19 year, the applicable rate of operations shall be reduced by 

20 1 percentage point. The 30-day period reductions shall ex21 tend beyond the last day of that fiscal year. 

22 ‘‘(C) The reductions provided by subparagraphs (A) 

23 and (B) shall not apply to any discretionary appropriation 

24 in budget function 050 made available pursuant to this 

25 section. Clause (i), (ii), or (iii) (as the case may be) of 


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1 subparagraph (A) shall be applied to any such appropria2 tion by substituting ‘100 percent’ for ‘99 percent’. 

3 ‘‘(D) If this section is in effect at the end of a fiscal 

4 year, funding levels shall continue as provided in this sec5 tion for the next fiscal year. 

6 ‘‘(3) Appropriations and funds made available, and 

7 authority granted, for any fiscal year pursuant to this sec8 tion for a program, project, or activity shall be available 

9 for the period beginning with the first day of a lapse in 

10 appropriations and ending with the date on which the ap11 plicable regular appropriation bill for such fiscal year be12 comes law (whether or not such law provides for such pro13 gram, project, or activity) or a continuing resolution mak14 ing appropriations becomes law, as the case may be. 

15 ‘‘(b) An appropriation or funds made available, or au16 thority granted, for a program, project, or activity for any 

17 fiscal year pursuant to this section shall be subject to the 

18 terms and conditions imposed with respect to the appro19 priation made or funds made available for the preceding 

20 fiscal year, or authority granted for such program, project, 

21 or activity under current law. 

22 ‘‘(c) Expenditures made for a program, project, or 

23 activity for any fiscal year pursuant to this section shall 

24 be charged to the applicable appropriation, fund, or au25 thorization whenever a regular appropriation bill or a joint 


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1 resolution making continuing appropriations until the end 

2 of a fiscal year providing for such program, project, or 

3 activity for such period becomes law. 

4 ‘‘(d) This section shall not apply to a program, 

5 project, or activity during a fiscal year if any other provi6 sion of law (other than an authorization of appropria7 tions)— 

8 ‘‘(1) makes an appropriation, makes funds 

9 available, or grants authority for such program, 

10 project, or activity to continue for such period; or 

11 ‘‘(2) specifically provides that no appropriation 

12 shall be made, no funds shall be made available, or 

13 no authority shall be granted for such program, 

14 project, or activity to continue for such period.’’. 

15 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

16 of chapter 13 of title 31, United States Code, is amended 

17 by inserting after the item relating to section 1310 the 

18 following new item: 

‘‘1311. Continuing appropriations.’’. 

19 SEC. 3. PROHIBITING PAYING MEMBERS OF CONGRESS 

20 WHILE AUTOMATIC CONTINUING APPRO21 PRIATIONS ARE IN EFFECT. 

22 (a) RULE FOR ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CON23 GRESS.— 

24 (1) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.—If a pay 

25 period occurs during the One Hundred Sixteenth 


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1 Congress during the period described in paragraph 

2 (2), the payroll administrator of each House of Con3 gress shall— 

4 (A) deposit in an escrow account and ex5 clude from the payments otherwise required to 

6 be made with respect to that pay period for the 

7 compensation of each Member of Congress who 

8 serves in that House of Congress an amount 

9 equal to the product of— 

10 (i) the daily rate of pay of the Mem11 ber under section 601(a) of the Legislative 

12 Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 

13 4501); and 

14 (ii) the number of 24-hour periods 

15 during the pay period; and 

16 (B) release amounts deposited in an es17 crow account under subparagraph (A) to such 

18 Member of Congress only upon the expiration of 

19 the period described in paragraph (2). 

20 (2) PERIOD DESCRIBED.—The period described 

21 in this paragraph is the period that— 

22 (A) begins on the 1st day on which appro23 priations and funds are made available pursu24 ant to section 1311 of title 31, United States 

25 Code (as added by section 2(a)); and 


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1 (B) ends on the earlier of— 

2 (i) the date on which appropriations 

3 and funds are no longer made available 

4 pursuant to section 1311 of such title; or 

5 (ii) the last day of the One Hundred 

6 Sixteenth Congress. 

7 (3) 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 (4) 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 Six25 teenth Congress. 


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1 (b) SUBSEQUENT CONGRESSES.— 

2 (1) REDUCTION IN SALARIES.—If a pay period 

3 occurs during the One Hundred Seventeenth Con4 gress or any succeeding Congress during the period 

5 described in paragraph (2), the payroll administrator 

6 of each House of Congress shall exclude from the 

7 payments otherwise required to be made with re8 spect to that pay period for the compensation of 

9 each Member of Congress who serves in that House 

10 of Congress an amount equal to the product of— 

11 (A) the daily rate of pay of the Member 

12 under section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorga13 nization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501); and 

14 (B) the number of 24-hour periods during 

15 the pay period. 

16 (2) PERIOD DESCRIBED.—The period described 

17 in this paragraph is the period that— 

18 (A) begins on the 1st day on which appro19 priations and funds are made available pursu20 ant to section 1311 of title 31, United States 

21 Code (as added by section 2(a)); and 

22 (B) ends on the date on which appropria23 tions and funds are no longer made available 

24 pursuant to section 1311 of such title. 


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1 (c) 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 section. 

6 (d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘payroll 

7 administrator’’, with respect to a House of Congress, 

8 means— 

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

10 the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of 

11 Representatives, or an employee of the Office of the 

12 Chief Administrative Officer who is designated by 

13 the Chief Administrative Officer to carry out this 

14 section; and 

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

16 the Senate, or an employee of the Office of the Sec17 retary of the Senate who is designated by the Sec18 retary to carry out this section. 

19 SEC. 4. PROHIBITING USE OF FUNDS FOR TRAVEL BY MEM20 BERS OF CONGRESS WHILE AUTOMATIC CON21 TINUING APPROPRIATIONS ARE IN EFFECT. 

22 (a) PROHIBITION.—During the period described in 

23 subsection (b), no appropriated funds, including official 

24 funds of the House of Representatives, official funds of 

25 the Senate, or funds available under any Federal law, rule, 


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1 or regulation, may be used to pay for the costs of travel 

2 by a Member of Congress. 

3 (b) PERIOD DESCRIBED.—The period described in 

4 this paragraph is the period that— 

5 (1) begins on the 1st day on which appropria6 tions and funds are made available pursuant to sec7 tion 1311 of title 31, United States Code (as added 

8 by section 2(a)); and 

9 (2) ends on the date on which appropriations 

10 and funds are no longer made available pursuant to 

11 section 1311 of such title. 

12 SEC. 5. MEMBER OF CONGRESS DEFINED. 

13 In this Act, the term ‘‘Member of Congress’’ means 

14 a Senator or a Representative in, or Delegate or Resident 

15 Commissioner to, the Congress. 

Æ 


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