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 Con-
gress for the failure to adopt a concurrent resolution 
on the budget which does not provide for a balanced 
budget, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Balanced Budget Accountability Act’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The Federal debt exceeds $16 trillion, con-
tinues to grow rapidly, and is larger than the size 
of the United States economy. 
(2) The Federal budget has shown an annual 
deficit in 45 of the last 50 years. 
(3) Deficits and the Federal debt threaten to 
shatter confidence in the Nation’s economy, suppress 
job creation and economic growth, and leave future 
generations of Americans with a lower standard of 
living and fewer opportunities. 
(4) It is the duty of Members of Congress to 
develop and implement policies, including balancing 
the Federal budget, that encourage robust job cre-
ation and economic growth in the United States. 
(5) Members of Congress should be held ac-
countable for failing to pass annual budgets that re-
sult in a balanced budget. 
SEC. 2. REQUIRING ADOPTION OF BUDGET RESOLUTION 
PROVIDING FOR BALANCED BUDGETS. 
(a) ADOPTION
OF BUDGET RESOLUTION.—Each 
House of Congress shall adopt a concurrent resolution on 
the budget for a fiscal year which provides that, for each 
fiscal year for which a budget is provided under the resolu-
tion (beginning not later than with the budget for fiscal 
year 2023), total outlays do not exceed total receipts. 
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(b) CERTIFICATION
BY CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET 
OFFICE.—Upon the adoption by a House of Congress of 
a concurrent resolution on the budget for a fiscal year, 
the Director of the Congressional Budget Office shall 
transmit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives 
or the President pro Tempore of the Senate (as the case 
may be) a certification as to whether or not that House 
of Congress has met the requirements of subsection (a) 
with respect to the resolution. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply with 
respect to the concurrent resolution on the budget for fis-
cal year 2015 and each succeeding fiscal year. 
SEC. 3. EFFECT OF FAILURE TO ADOPT RESOLUTION. 
(a) RULE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2015.— 
(1) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.—If the Di-
rector of the Congressional Budget Office (hereafter 
referred to as the ‘‘Director’’) does not certify that 
a House of Congress has met the requirements of 
section 2(a) with respect to fiscal year 2015 prior to 
April 16, 2014, during the period described in para-
graph (2) the payroll administrator of that House of 
Congress shall deposit in an escrow account all pay-
ments otherwise required to be made during such 
period for the compensation of Members of Congress 
who serve in that House of Congress, and shall re-
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lease such payments to such Members only upon the 
expiration of such period. 
(2) PERIOD
DESCRIBED.—With respect to a 
House of Congress, the period described in this 
paragraph is the period which begins on April 16, 
2014, and ends on the earlier of— 
(A) the day on which the Director certifies 
that the House of Congress has met the re-
quirements of section 2(a) with respect to fiscal 
year 2015; or 
(B) the last day of the One Hundred Thir-
teenth Congress. 
(3) 
WITHHOLDING
AND
REMITTANCE
OF 
AMOUNTS FROM PAYMENTS HELD IN ESCROW.—The 
payroll administrator shall provide for the same 
withholding and remittance with respect to a pay-
ment deposited in an escrow account under para-
graph (1) that would apply to the payment if the 
payment were not subject to paragraph (1). 
(4) RELEASE OF AMOUNTS AT END OF THE 
CONGRESS.—In order to ensure that this subsection 
is carried out in a manner that shall not vary the 
compensation of Senators or Representatives in vio-
lation of the twenty-seventh article of amendment to 
the Constitution of the United States, the payroll 
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(b) RULE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016 AND SUBSEQUENT 
FISCAL YEARS.—If the Director of the Congressional 
Budget Office does not certify that a House of Congress 
has met the requirements of section 2(a) with respect to 
a fiscal year prior to the April 16 which immediately pre-
cedes the first day of the fiscal year, during pay periods 
which occur in the same calendar year after that date each 
Member of that House shall be paid at an annual rate 
of pay equal to $1. 
(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘Mem-
ber’’ includes a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the 
Congress. 
Æ 
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