I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5085 
To remove the discretionary inflater from the baseline and 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 2022. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 14, 2019 
Mr. BIGGS (for himself and Mr. NORMAN) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the 
Committees on House Administration, and Oversight and 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 com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To remove the discretionary inflater from the baseline and 
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 2022. 
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 ‘‘Budget Process En-
hancement Act’’. 
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TITLE I—CHANGES IN THE 
BASELINE 
SEC. 101. CHANGES IN THE BASELINE. 
Section 257(c) of the Balanced Budget and Emer-
gency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is amended— 
(1) in the second sentence of paragraph (1), by 
striking everything that follows ‘‘current year,’’ and 
inserting ‘‘excluding resources designated as an 
emergency requirement and any resources provided 
in supplemental appropriation laws.’’; 
(2) by striking paragraphs (2), (3), (4), and 
(5); 
(3) by redesignating paragraph (6) as para-
graph (2); and 
(4) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(3) NO
ADJUSTMENT
FOR
INFLATION.—No 
adjustment shall be made for inflation or for any 
other factor.’’. 
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TITLE 
II—BUDGET 
ACCOUNT-
ABILITY 
OF 
MEMBERS 
OF 
CONGRESS 
SEC. 201. HOLDING SALARIES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS 
IN ESCROW UPON FAILURE TO AGREE TO 
BUDGET RESOLUTION. 
(a) HOLDING SALARIES IN ESCROW.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—If by April 15, 2021, a 
House of Congress has not agreed to a concurrent 
resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2022 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, 
2021, and ends on the earlier of— 
(A) the day on which the House of Con-
gress agrees to a concurrent resolution on the 
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budget for fiscal year 2021 pursuant to section 
301 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974; 
or 
(B) the last day of the One Hundred Sev-
enteenth 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 Sev-
enteenth Congress. 
(5) ROLE OF SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.— 
The Secretary of the Treasury shall provide the pay-
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roll administrators of the Houses of Congress with 
such assistance as may be necessary to enable the 
payroll administrators to carry out this section. 
(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 term ‘‘payroll administrator’’ of a House of 
Congress 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. 
SEC. 202. DETERMINATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH STATU-
TORY REQUIREMENT TO SUBMIT THE PRESI-
DENT’S BUDGET. 
Not later than 3 days after the President’s budget 
is due, the Inspector General of the Office of Personnel 
Management shall— 
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(1) make an annual determination of whether 
the Director of the Office of Management and Budg-
et (OMB) and the President are in compliance with 
section 1105 of title 31, United States Code; and 
(2) provide a written notification of such deter-
mination to the Chairs of the Committee on the 
Budget and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
Senate and the Chairs of the Committee on the 
Budget and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives. 
SEC. 203. NO PAY UPON FAILURE TO TIMELY SUBMIT THE 
PRESIDENT’S BUDGET TO CONGRESS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, no funds may be appropriated or otherwise 
be made available from the United States Treasury for 
the pay of the Director of OMB, Deputy Director of OMB, 
and the Deputy Director for Management of OMB during 
any period of noncompliance determined by the Inspector 
General of the Office of Personnel Management under sec-
tion 202. 
(b) NO RETROACTIVE PAY.—The Director of OMB, 
Deputy Director of OMB, and the Deputy Director for 
Management of OMB may not receive pay for any period 
of noncompliance determined by the Inspector General of 
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the Office of Personnel Management under section 202 
at any time after the end of that period. 
SEC. 204. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
Sections 202 and 203 shall take effect upon the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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