I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 522 

To reduce a portion of the annual pay of Members of Congress for the 

failure to adopt a concurrent resolution on the budget which does not 

provide for a balanced budget, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 6, 2013 

Mr. DAINES (for himself and Mr. MESSER) introduced the following bill; which 

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

to the Committees on the Budget and 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 reduce a portion of the annual pay of Members of Congress for the failure to adopt a concurrent resolution 

on the budget which does not provide for a balanced 

budget, 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; FINDINGS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Balanced Budget Accountability Act’’. 

6 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The Federal debt exceeds $16 trillion, con2 tinues to grow rapidly, and is larger than the size 

3 of the United States economy. 

4 (2) The Federal budget has shown an annual 

5 deficit in 45 of the last 50 years. 

6 (3) Deficits and the Federal debt threaten to 

7 shatter confidence in the Nation’s economy, suppress 

8 job creation and economic growth, and leave future 

9 generations of Americans with a lower standard of 

10 living and fewer opportunities. 

11 (4) It is the duty of Members of Congress to 

12 develop and implement policies, including balancing 

13 the Federal budget, that encourage robust job cre14 ation and economic growth in the United States. 

15 (5) Members of Congress should be held ac16 countable for failing to pass annual budgets that re17 sult in a balanced budget. 

18 SEC. 2. REQUIRING ADOPTION OF BUDGET RESOLUTION 

19 PROVIDING FOR BALANCED BUDGETS. 

20 (a) ADOPTION OF BUDGET RESOLUTION.—Each 

21 House of Congress shall adopt a concurrent resolution on 

22 the budget for a fiscal year which provides that, for each 

23 fiscal year for which a budget is provided under the resolu24 tion (beginning not later than with the budget for fiscal 

25 year 2023), total outlays do not exceed total receipts. 


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1 (b) CERTIFICATION BY CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET

2 OFFICE.—Upon the adoption by a House of Congress of 

3 a concurrent resolution on the budget for a fiscal year, 

4 the Director of the Congressional Budget Office shall 

5 transmit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives 

6 or the President pro Tempore of the Senate (as the case 

7 may be) a certification as to whether or not that House 

8 of Congress has met the requirements of subsection (a) 

9 with respect to the resolution. 

10 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply with 

11 respect to the concurrent resolution on the budget for fis12 cal year 2015 and each succeeding fiscal year. 

13 SEC. 3. EFFECT OF FAILURE TO ADOPT RESOLUTION. 

14 (a) RULE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2015.— 

15 (1) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.—If the Di16 rector of the Congressional Budget Office (hereafter 

17 referred to as the ‘‘Director’’) does not certify that 

18 a House of Congress has met the requirements of 

19 section 2(a) with respect to fiscal year 2015 prior to 

20 April 16, 2014, during the period described in para21 graph (2) the payroll administrator of that House of 

22 Congress shall deposit in an escrow account all pay23 ments otherwise required to be made during such 

24 period for the compensation of Members of Congress 

25 who serve in that House of Congress, and shall reVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:41 Feb 12, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H522.IH H522

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1 lease such payments to such Members only upon the 

2 expiration of such period. 

3 (2) PERIOD DESCRIBED.—With respect to a 

4 House of Congress, the period described in this 

5 paragraph is the period which begins on April 16, 

6 2014, and ends on the earlier of— 

7 (A) the day on which the Director certifies 

8 that the House of Congress has met the re9 quirements of section 2(a) with respect to fiscal 

10 year 2015; or 

11 (B) the last day of the One Hundred Thir12 teenth Congress. 

13 (3) WITHHOLDING AND REMITTANCE OF

14 AMOUNTS FROM PAYMENTS HELD IN ESCROW.—The 

15 payroll administrator 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 (4) RELEASE OF AMOUNTS AT END OF THE

21 CONGRESS.—In order to ensure that this subsection 

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

23 compensation of Senators or Representatives in vio24 lation of the twenty-seventh article of amendment to 

25 the Constitution of the United States, the payroll 


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1 administrator of a House of Congress shall release 

2 for payments to Members of that House of Congress 

3 any amounts remaining in any escrow account under 

4 this section on the last day of the One Hundred 

5 Thirteenth Congress. 

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

7 The Secretary of the Treasury shall provide the pay8 roll administrators of the Houses of Congress with 

9 such assistance as may be necessary to enable the 

10 payroll administrators to carry out this subsection. 

11 (6) PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR DEFINED.—In 

12 this subsection, the ‘‘payroll administrator’’ of a 

13 House of Congress means— 

14 (A) in the case of the House of Represent15 atives, the Chief Administrative Officer of the 

16 House of Representatives, or an employee of 

17 the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer 

18 who is designated by the Chief Administrative 

19 Officer to carry out this section; and 

20 (B) in the case of the Senate, the Sec21 retary of the Senate, or an employee of the Of22 fice of the Secretary of the Senate who is des23 ignated by the Secretary to carry out this sec24 tion. 


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1 (b) RULE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016 AND SUBSEQUENT

2 FISCAL YEARS.—If the Director of the Congressional 

3 Budget Office does not certify that a House of Congress 

4 has met the requirements of section 2(a) with respect to 

5 a fiscal year prior to the April 16 which immediately pre6 cedes the first day of the fiscal year, during pay periods 

7 which occur in the same calendar year after that date each 

8 Member of that House shall be paid at an annual rate 

9 of pay equal to $1. 

10 (c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘Mem11 ber’’ includes a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the 

12 Congress. 

Æ 


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