I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 236 
To provide that the salaries of Members of a House of Congress will be 
held in escrow if that House has not agreed to a concurrent resolution 
on the budget for fiscal year 2020 by April 15, 2019. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 3, 2019 
Mr. WITTMAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration 
A BILL 
To provide that the salaries of Members of a House of 
Congress will be held in escrow if that House has not 
agreed to a concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal 
year 2020 by April 15, 2019. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘No Budget, No Pay 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. HOLDING SALARIES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN 
ESCROW UPON FAILURE TO AGREE TO BUDG-
ET RESOLUTION. 
(a) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—If by April 15, 2019, a 
House of Congress has not agreed to a concurrent 
resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2020 pursu-
ant to section 301 of the Congressional Budget Act 
of 1974, during the period described in paragraph 
(2) the payroll administrator of that House of Con-
gress 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-
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, 
2019 and ends on the earlier of— 
(A) the day on which the House of Con-
gress agrees to a concurrent resolution on the 
budget for fiscal year 2020 pursuant to section 
301 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974; 
or 
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(B) the last day of the One Hundred Six-
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 section is 
carried out in a manner that shall not vary the com-
pensation of Senators or Representatives in violation 
of the twenty-seventh article of amendment to the 
Constitution of the United States, the payroll ad-
ministrator of a House of Congress shall release for 
payments to Members of that House of Congress 
any amounts remaining in any escrow account under 
this section on the last day of the One Hundred Six-
teenth Congress. 
(5) ROLE OF SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.— 
The Secretary of the Treasury shall provide the pay-
roll administrators of the Houses of Congress with 
such assistance as may be necessary to enable the 
payroll administrators to carry out this section. 
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(b) TREATMENT OF DELEGATES AS MEMBERS.—In 
this section, the term ‘‘Member of Congress’’ includes a 
Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress. 
(c) PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR DEFINED.—In this 
section, the ‘‘payroll administrator’’ of a House of Con-
gress means— 
(1) in the case of the House of Representatives, 
the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of 
Representatives, or an employee of the Office of the 
Chief Administrative Officer who is designated by 
the Chief Administrative Officer to carry out this 
section; and 
(2) in the case of the Senate, the Secretary of 
the Senate, or an employee of the Office of the Sec-
retary of the Senate who is designated by the Sec-
retary to carry out this section. 
Æ 
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