I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 180 
To hold the salaries of Members of a House of Congress in escrow if the 
House of Congress does not pass regular appropriation bills on a timely 
basis during a Congress, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 4, 2021 
Mr. WITTMAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration 
A BILL 
To hold the salaries of Members of a House of Congress 
in escrow if the House of Congress does not pass regular 
appropriation bills on a timely basis during a Congress, 
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. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Inaction Has Con-
sequences Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. HOLDING SALARIES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN 
ESCROW UPON FAILURE TO PASS REGULAR 
APPROPRIATION BILLS. 
(a) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.—If by the first 
day of a fiscal year (beginning with fiscal year 2022), a 
House of Congress has not passed each of the regular ap-
propriation bills for such fiscal year, during the period de-
scribed in subsection (b) the payroll administrator of that 
House of Congress shall deposit in an escrow account all 
payments otherwise required to be made during such pe-
riod for the compensation of Members of Congress who 
serve in that House of Congress, and shall release such 
payments to such Members only upon the expiration of 
such period. 
(b) PERIOD DESCRIBED.—With respect to a House 
of Congress and a fiscal year, the period described in this 
paragraph is the period which begins on the first day of 
the fiscal year and ends on the earlier of— 
(1) the first day by which the House of Con-
gress has passed each of the regular appropriation 
bills for such fiscal year; or 
(2) the last day of the Congress during which 
that fiscal year begins. 
(c) REGULAR APPROPRIATION BILL DEFINED.—The 
term ‘‘regular appropriation bill’’ means any annual ap-
propriation bill which, with respect to the Congress in-
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volved, is under the jurisdiction of a single subcommittee 
of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep-
resentatives (pursuant to the Rules of the House of Rep-
resentatives for that Congress) and a single subcommittee 
of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate (pursu-
ant to the Standing Rules of the Senate). 
SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION OF ESCROW. 
(a) WITHHOLDING AND REMITTANCE OF AMOUNTS 
FROM PAYMENTS HELD IN ESCROW.—The payroll admin-
istrator shall provide for the same withholding and remit-
tance with respect to a payment deposited in an escrow 
account under section 2 that would apply to the payment 
if the payment were not subject to such section. 
(b) ROLE OF SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.—The 
Secretary of the Treasury shall provide the payroll admin-
istrators of the Houses of Congress with such assistance 
as may be necessary to enable the payroll administrators 
to carry out this Act. 
SEC. 4. RELEASE OF AMOUNTS AT END OF A CONGRESS. 
In order to ensure that this Act is carried out in a 
manner consistent with the twenty-seventh article of 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, the 
payroll administrator of a House of Congress shall release 
for payments to Members of that House of Congress any 
amounts remaining in any escrow account under section 
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2 on the last day of the Congress during which the 
amounts were deposited in such account. 
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘Member’’ includes a Delegate or 
Resident Commissioner to the Congress; and 
(2) the ‘‘payroll administrator’’ of a House of 
Congress means— 
(A) in the case of the House of Represent-
atives, 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 Act; and 
(B) in the case of the Senate, the Sec-
retary of the Senate, or an employee of the Of-
fice of the Secretary of the Senate who is des-
ignated by the Secretary to carry out this Act. 
Æ 
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