II 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3071 

To provide for a freeze on the pay of Members of Congress and appropriations 

for certain congressional offices until there are sufficient improvements 

in the national unemployment rate, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 4, 2010 

Mr. BENNET introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide for a freeze on the pay of Members of Congress 

and appropriations for certain congressional offices until 

there are sufficient improvements in the national unemployment rate, 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 ‘‘Congressional Pay 

5 Freeze Act of 2010’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 


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1 (1) the national unemployment rate remained 

2 at or exceeded 10 percent throughout each month of 

3 the fourth quarter of calendar year 2009; 

4 (2) the national unemployment rate remained 

5 at or exceeded 9.4 percent for each month of the 

6 third quarter of calendar year 2009; 

7 (3) in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2009, 

8 the national unemployment rate reached its highest 

9 level since 1983; 

10 (4) in 2009, the number of mass layoff events 

11 (as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the 

12 Department of Labor) totaled 28,030, the highest 

13 number of mass layoff events recorded since 1996, 

14 the first year for which this data became available; 

15 (5) according to Christina Romer of the Council 

16 of Economic Advisors, more than 7,000,000 Ameri17 cans lost their jobs from December 2007 to Decem18 ber 2009; 

19 (6) in December 2009, 39.8 percent of unem20 ployed persons had been unemployed for 27 weeks or 

21 more; 

22 (7) until the jobs numbers in the United States 

23 steadily improve for 4 consecutive quarters, Mem24 bers of Congress and their offices should not get a 


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1 cost of living adjustment or other salary increase; 

2 and 

3 (8) until Congress makes the difficult decisions 

4 necessary to get annual Federal budget deficits 

5 under control, Members of Congress should not get 

6 a cost of living adjustment or other pay increase. 

7 SEC. 3. RESTRICTIONS ON PAY OF MEMBERS OF CON8 GRESS. 

9 (a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘Mem10 bers of Congress’’ means the Members of Congress de11 scribed under section 601(a)(1) of the Legislative Reorga12 nization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 31(1)). 

13 (b) RESTRICTIONS.— 

14 (1) RESTRICTION ON COLA ADJUSTMENTS.— 

15 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no ad16 justment shall be made under section 601(a) of the 

17 Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 

18 31) (relating to cost of living adjustments for Mem19 bers of Congress) during any fiscal year, until the 

20 Bureau of Labor Statistics average of monthly un21 employment rates for a quarter decreases for 4 con22 secutive quarters with respect to quarters which 

23 begin after the date of enactment of this Act. 

24 (2) RESTRICTION ON PAY INCREASES.—Not25 withstanding any other provision of law, no increase 


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1 may be made to the pay of Members of Congress 

2 during any fiscal year, until the Bureau of Labor 

3 Statistics average of monthly unemployment rates 

4 for a quarter decreases for 4 consecutive quarters 

5 with respect to quarters which begin after the date 

6 of enactment of this Act. 

7 SEC. 4. RESTRICTIONS ON APPROPRIATIONS FOR CON8 GRESSIONAL OFFICES AND COMMITTEES. 

9 (a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘congres10 sional leadership office’’ means— 

11 (1) in the Senate— 

12 (A) the Office of the President Pro Tem13 pore; 

14 (B) the Offices of the Majority and Minor15 ity Leaders; and 

16 (C) the Offices of the Majority and Minor17 ity Whips; and 

18 (2) in the House of Representatives, any office 

19 appropriated funds from the appropriations account 

20 under the heading ‘‘HOUSE LEADERSHIP OFFICES’’. 

21 (b) RESTRICTION.—Notwithstanding any other provi22 sion of law, the amount of appropriations for any office 

23 of a Member of Congress, any committee of the Senate 

24 or House of Representatives, or any congressional leader25 ship office may not exceed the amount of appropriations 


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1 for that office or committee in fiscal year 2010, until the 

2 fiscal year following a report submitted by the Secretary 

3 of Labor under section 5(a). 

4 SEC. 5. DETERMINATIONS AND REPORTS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Labor shall sub6 mit a report to Congress whenever the Secretary deter7 mines that the Bureau of Labor Statistics average of 

8 monthly unemployment rates for a quarter decreases for 

9 4 consecutive quarters with respect to quarters which 

10 begin after the date of enactment of this Act. 

11 (b) RESTRICTION OF COLA ADJUSTMENTS.—Not 

12 later than the end of each calendar year, the Secretary 

13 of Labor shall submit a report to the Secretary of the Sen14 ate and the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of 

15 Representatives on— 

16 (1) any determination made under subsection 

17 (a); and 

18 (2) whether or not the restriction under section 

19 3(b)(1) shall apply to the succeeding fiscal year. 

Æ 


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