I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 845 

To prohibit the payment of a salary to Members of Congress, the President, 

and the Vice President during periods during which a Government shutdown is in effect, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 29, 2019 

Mr. GOLDEN (for himself, Mr. ROSE of New York, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. COOPER, Ms. PINGREE, and Mr. COX of California) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, 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 prohibit the payment of a salary to Members of Congress, 

the President, and the Vice President during periods 

during which a Government shutdown is 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Solidarity in Salary 

5 Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROHIBITING PAYING SALARIES OF MEMBERS OF 

2 CONGRESS DURING GOVERNMENT SHUT3 DOWNS. 

4 (a) RULE FOR ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CON5 GRESS.— 

6 (1) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.—If on any 

7 day during a pay period occurring during the One 

8 Hundred Sixteenth Congress a Government shut9 down is in effect, the payroll administrator of each 

10 House of Congress shall— 

11 (A) deposit in an escrow account and ex12 clude from the payments otherwise required to 

13 be made with respect to that pay period for the 

14 compensation of each Member of Congress who 

15 serves in that House of Congress an amount 

16 equal to the product of— 

17 (i) the daily rate of pay of the Mem18 ber under section 601(a) of the Legislative 

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

20 4501); and 

21 (ii) the number of 24-hour periods 

22 during the pay period during which the 

23 Government shutdown is in effect; and 

24 (B) release amounts deposited in an es25 crow account under subparagraph (A) to such 


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1 Member of Congress only upon the expiration of 

2 the period described in paragraph (2). 

3 (2) PERIOD DESCRIBED.—The period described 

4 in this paragraph is the period that— 

5 (A) begins on the first day on which the 

6 applicable Government shutdown is in effect; 

7 and 

8 (B) ends on the earlier of— 

9 (i) the date on which the applicable 

10 Government shutdown is no longer in ef11 fect; or 

12 (ii) the last day of the One Hundred 

13 Sixteenth Congress. 

14 (3) WITHHOLDING AND REMITTANCE OF

15 AMOUNTS FROM PAYMENTS HELD IN ESCROW.—The 

16 payroll administrator of each House of Congress 

17 shall provide for the same withholding and remit18 tance with respect to a payment deposited in an es19 crow account under paragraph (1) that would apply 

20 to the payment if the payment were not subject to 

21 paragraph (1). 

22 (4) RELEASE OF AMOUNTS AT END OF THE

23 CONGRESS.—In order to ensure that this subsection 

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

25 compensation of Senators or Representatives in vioVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:11 Feb 06, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H845.IH H845

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1 lation of the twenty-seventh amendment to the Con2 stitution of the United States, the payroll adminis3 trator of a House of Congress shall release for pay4 ment to Members of that House of Congress any 

5 amounts remaining in any escrow account under this 

6 section on the last day of the One Hundred Six7 teenth Congress. 

8 (b) SUBSEQUENT CONGRESSES.—On and after the 

9 first day of the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, if 

10 on any day during a pay period a Government shutdown 

11 is in effect, the payroll administrator of each House of 

12 Congress shall exclude from the payments otherwise re13 quired to be made with respect to that pay period for the 

14 compensation of each Member of Congress who serves in 

15 that House of Congress an amount equal to the product 

16 of— 

17 (1) the daily rate of pay of the Member under 

18 section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act 

19 of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501); and 

20 (2) the number of 24-hour periods during the 

21 pay period during which the Government shutdown 

22 is in effect. 

23 (c) ROLE OF SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.—The 

24 Secretary of the Treasury shall provide the payroll admin25 istrator of each House of Congress with such assistance 


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1 as may be necessary to enable the payroll administrator 

2 to carry out this Act. 

3 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

4 (1) the term ‘‘Member of Congress’’ means an 

5 individual serving in a position covered under sub6 paragraph (A), (B), or (C) of section 601(a)(1) of 

7 the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 

8 U.S.C. 4501(1)); and 

9 (2) the term ‘‘payroll administrator’’, with re10 spect to a House of Congress, means— 

11 (A) in the case of the House of Represent12 atives, the Chief Administrative Officer of the 

13 House of Representatives, or an employee of 

14 the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer 

15 who is designated by the Chief Administrative 

16 Officer to carry out this Act; and 

17 (B) in the case of the Senate, the Sec18 retary of the Senate, or an employee of the Of19 fice of the Secretary of the Senate who is des20 ignated by the Secretary to carry out this Act. 

21 SEC. 3. PROHIBITING PAYING SALARIES OF PRESIDENT 

22 AND VICE PRESIDENT DURING GOVERNMENT 

23 SHUTDOWNS. 

24 (a) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.—If on any day 

25 during a pay period occurring during the term of office 


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1 of the President or Vice President a Government shut2 down is in effect, the Director of the Office of Personnel 

3 Management shall— 

4 (1) deposit in an escrow account and exclude 

5 from the payments otherwise required to be made 

6 with respect to that pay period for the compensation 

7 of the President and the Vice President an amount 

8 equal to the product of— 

9 (A) the daily rate of pay of the President 

10 or Vice President (as the case may be) under 

11 applicable law; and 

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

13 the pay period during which the Government 

14 shutdown is in effect; and 

15 (2) release amounts deposited in an escrow ac16 count under paragraph (1) to the President and the 

17 Vice President only upon the expiration of the period 

18 described in subsection (b). 

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

20 this subsection is the period that— 

21 (1) begins on the first day on which the appli22 cable Government shutdown is in effect; and 

23 (2) ends on the earlier of— 

24 (A) the date on which the applicable Gov25 ernment shutdown is no longer in effect; or 


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1 (B) the last day of the term of office of the 

2 President and Vice President during which the 

3 period begins. 

4 (c) WITHHOLDING AND REMITTANCE OF AMOUNTS

5 FROM PAYMENTS HELD IN ESCROW.—The Director of 

6 the Office of Personnel Management shall provide for the 

7 same withholding and remittance with respect to a pay8 ment deposited in an escrow account under subsection (a) 

9 that would apply to the payment if the payment were not 

10 subject to subsection (a). 

11 (d) RELEASE OF AMOUNTS AT END OF TERM.—The 

12 Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall re13 lease for payment to the President and Vice President any 

14 amounts remaining in the escrow account under this sec15 tion on the last day of the term of office of the President 

16 and Vice President during which the period described in 

17 subsection (b) begins. 

18 SEC. 4. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEFINED. 

19 In this Act, the term ‘‘Government shutdown’’ means 

20 a lapse in appropriations for 1 or more Federal agencies 

21 or departments as a result of a failure to enact a regular 

22 appropriations bill or continuing resolution. 

Æ 


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