II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 186 

To ensure timely completion of the concurrent resolution on the budget 

and regular appropriations bills, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 17, 2019 

Ms. ERNST (for herself, Mr. LANKFORD, and Mr. PERDUE) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To ensure timely completion of the concurrent resolution 

on the budget and regular appropriations bills, 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 Budget, No Recess 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. NO BUDGET, NO RECESS. 

7 Section 300 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 

8 (2 U.S.C. 631) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘The timetable’’ and inserting 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The timetable’’; and 

4 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(b) NO BUDGET, NO RECESS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) LIMITS IN THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF

7 REPRESENTATIVES.—The procedures specified in 

8 paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) shall apply in the Sen9 ate and the procedures specified in paragraphs (2), 

10 (3), and (5) shall apply in the House of Representa11 tives— 

12 ‘‘(A) on and after April 15 of each year, 

13 if the Senate and House of Representatives 

14 have not adopted a concurrent resolution on the 

15 budget for the next fiscal year; and 

16 ‘‘(B) on and after August 1 of each year, 

17 if the Senate and House of Representatives 

18 have not passed, individually or collectively, all 

19 the regular appropriations bills for the next fis20 cal year. 

21 ‘‘(2) NO RECESS OR ADJOURNMENT.—During a 

22 period described in paragraph (1), it shall not be in 

23 order in the Senate or the House of Representatives 

24 to move to recess or to adjourn for more than 8 

25 hours. 


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1 ‘‘(3) NO OFFICIAL TRAVEL.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

3 subparagraph (B), during a period described in 

4 paragraph (1), no amounts may be obligated or 

5 expended for official travel by a Member of 

6 Congress. 

7 ‘‘(B) RETURN TO DC.—If a Member of 

8 Congress is away from the seat of Government 

9 when a period described in paragraph (1) be10 gins, funds may be obligated and expended for 

11 official travel by the Member of Congress to re12 turn to the seat of Government. 

13 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL LIMITS IN THE SENATE.— 

14 ‘‘(A) DETERMINATION OF PRESENCE OF A

15 QUORUM.—Notwithstanding any provision of 

16 the Standing Rules of the Senate, in the Sen17 ate, during each day during a period described 

18 in paragraph (1), the Presiding Officer shall di19 rect the Clerk to call the roll to ascertain the 

20 presence of a quorum— 

21 ‘‘(i) at noon; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) at 6:00 p.m. 

23 ‘‘(B) LACK OF QUORUM.— 

24 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If, upon a calling 

25 of the roll under subparagraph (A), it shall 


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1 be ascertained that a quorum is not 

2 present— 

3 ‘‘(I) the Presiding Officer shall 

4 direct the Clerk to call the names of 

5 any absent Senators; and 

6 ‘‘(II) following the calling of the 

7 names under subclause (I), the Pre8 siding Officer shall, without inter9 vening motion or debate, submit to 

10 the Senate by a yea-and-nay vote the 

11 question: ‘Shall the Sergeant-at-Arms 

12 be directed to request the attendance 

13 of absent Senators?’. 

14 ‘‘(ii) DIRECTION TO COMPEL ATTEND15 ANCE.—If a quorum is not present 30 

16 minutes after the time at which the vote 

17 on a question submitted under clause 

18 (i)(II) starts, the Presiding Officer shall, 

19 without intervening motion or debate, sub20 mit to the Senate by a yea-and-nay vote 

21 the question: ‘Shall the Sergeant-at-Arms 

22 be directed to compel the attendance of ab23 sent Senators?’. 

24 ‘‘(iii) ARREST OF ABSENT SEN25 ATORS.—Effective 30 minutes after the 


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1 Sergeant-at-Arms is directed to compel the 

2 attendance of absent Senators under clause 

3 (ii), if any Senator not excused under rule 

4 XII of the Standing Rules of the Senate is 

5 not in attendance, the Senate shall be 

6 deemed to have agreed an order that reads 

7 as follows: ‘Ordered, That the Sergeant-at8 Arms be directed to arrest absent Sen9 ators, that warrants for the arrests of all 

10 Senators not sick nor excused be issued 

11 under the signature of the Presiding Offi12 cer and attested by the Secretary, and that 

13 such warrants be executed without delay.’. 

14 ‘‘(iv) REPORTS.—Not less frequently 

15 than once per hour during proceedings to 

16 compel the attendance of absent Senators, 

17 the Sergeant-at-Arms shall submit to the 

18 Senate a report on absent Senators, which 

19 shall— 

20 ‘‘(I) be laid before the Senate; 

21 ‘‘(II) identify each Senator whose 

22 absence is excused; 

23 ‘‘(III) identify each Senator who 

24 is absent without excuse; and 


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1 ‘‘(IV) for each Senator identified 

2 under subclause (III), provide infor3 mation on the current location of the 

4 Senator. 

5 ‘‘(C) REGAINING THE FLOOR.—If a Sen6 ator had been recognized to speak at the time 

7 a call of the roll to ascertain the presence of a 

8 quorum was initiated under subparagraph (A), 

9 and if the presence of a quorum is established, 

10 that Senator shall be entitled to be recognized 

11 to speak. 

12 ‘‘(D) NO SUSPENSION OF REQUIRE13 MENTS.—The Presiding Officer may not enter14 tain a request to suspend the operation of this 

15 paragraph by unanimous consent or motion. 

16 ‘‘(E) CONSISTENCY WITH SENATE EMER17 GENCY PROCEDURES AND PRACTICES.—Nothing 

18 in this paragraph shall be construed in a man19 ner that is inconsistent with S. Res. 296 (108th 

20 Congress) or any other emergency procedures 

21 or practices of the Senate. 

22 ‘‘(5) ADDITIONAL LIMITS IN THE HOUSE OF

23 REPRESENTATIVES.—Notwithstanding any provision 

24 of the Rules of the House of Representatives, in the 

25 House of Representatives, during each day during a 


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1 period described in paragraph (1), each Member of 

2 the House of Representatives shall record his or her 

3 presence for purposes of establishing a quorum at 

4 noon and 6:00 p.m. 

5 ‘‘(6) NO WAIVER.—Notwithstanding section 

6 904(b), paragraphs (2), (3), (4), and (5) of this sub7 section may not be waived or suspended in the Sen8 ate or the House of Representatives. 

9 ‘‘(7) PERMANENT LAW.—Notwithstanding sec10 tion 904(a), paragraph (3) of this subsection is not 

11 enacted as an exercise of the rulemaking power of 

12 the Senate or the House of Representatives.’’. 

13 SEC. 3. COMPLETION OF HOUSE ACTION ON REGULAR AP14 PROPRIATIONS BILLS. 

15 Section 309 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 

16 (2 U.S.C. 640) is amended by inserting ‘‘or August’’ after 

17 ‘‘July’’. 

Æ 


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