I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 308 

To require the salaries of Members of Congress to be held in escrow if 

all regular appropriation bills for a fiscal year have not been enacted 

by the beginning of the fiscal year, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 18, 2013 

Mr. HULTGREN (for himself and Mr. RIBBLE) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in 

addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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 require the salaries of Members of Congress to be held 

in escrow if all regular appropriation bills for a fiscal 

year have not been enacted by the beginning of the 

fiscal year, 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 ‘‘Constitutional Con5 gressional Pay Accountability Act of 2013’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. HOLDING SALARIES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN 

2 ESCROW UPON FAILURE TO ENACT REGULAR 

3 APPROPRIATION BILLS FOR FISCAL YEAR. 

4 (a) ESCROW.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—If all of the regular appro6 priation bills for a fiscal year do not become law be7 fore the beginning of such fiscal year, the Secretary 

8 of the Treasury shall deposit all payments otherwise 

9 required to be made for the compensation of Mem10 bers of Congress in an escrow account, and shall re11 lease such payments to the Members only upon the 

12 enactment of all such bills. 

13 (2) WITHHOLDING AND REMITTANCE OF

14 AMOUNTS FROM PAYMENTS HELD IN ESCROW.—The 

15 Secretary of the Treasury shall provide for the same 

16 withholding and remittance with respect to a pay17 ment deposited in an escrow account under para18 graph (1) that would apply to the payment if the 

19 payment were not subject to paragraph (1). 

20 (3) COORDINATION WITH HOUSE AND SEN21 ATE.—The Secretary of the Treasury shall enter 

22 into such agreements with the Chief Administrative 

23 Officer of the House of Representatives and the Sec24 retary of the Senate as may be necessary to carry 

25 out this subsection. 


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

2 respect to fiscal year 2014 and each succeeding fiscal year. 

3 SEC. 3. REDUCTION IN SALARY UPON FAILURE TO ENACT 

4 REGULAR APPROPRIATION BILLS PRIOR TO 

5 BEGINNING OF CONGRESS. 

6 (a) REDUCTION IN SALARY.—Notwithstanding any 

7 other provision of law, if all of the regular appropriation 

8 bills for the fiscal year in which a Congress begins do not 

9 become law before the first day of the Congress, the an10 nual rate of pay for each Member of Congress for pay 

11 periods occurring during the Congress shall be the applica12 ble rate in effect for the most recent pay period prior to 

13 the Congress reduced by 25 percent, rounded to the near14 est multiple of $100 (or, if midway between multiples of 

15 $100, to the next higher multiple of $100). 

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

17 respect to the One Hundred Fourteenth Congress and 

18 each succeeding Congress. 

19 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

20 (a) MEMBER OF CONGRESS.—In this Act, the term 

21 ‘‘Member of Congress’’ means an individual serving in a 

22 position under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of section 

23 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 

24 U.S.C. 31). 


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1 (b) REGULAR APPROPRIATION BILL.—In this Act, 

2 the term ‘‘regular appropriation bill’’ means any annual 

3 appropriation bill making appropriations, otherwise mak4 ing funds available, or granting authority, for any of the 

5 following categories of projects and activities: 

6 (1) Agriculture, rural development, Food and 

7 Drug Administration, and related agencies pro8 grams. 

9 (2) The Departments of Commerce, Justice, 

10 Science, and related agencies. 

11 (3) The Department of Defense. 

12 (4) Energy and water development, and related 

13 agencies. 

14 (5) Financial services and general government. 

15 (6) The Department of Homeland Security. 

16 (7) The Department of the Interior, environ17 ment, and related agencies. 

18 (8) The Departments of Labor, Health and 

19 Human Services, and Education, and related agen20 cies. 

21 (9) The legislative branch. 

22 (10) Military construction and veterans affairs. 

23 (11) The Department of State, foreign oper24 ations, and related programs. 


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1 (12) The Departments of Transportation, 

2 Housing and Urban Development, and related agen3 cies. 

Æ 


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