I 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3774 
To reduce the salaries of Members of Congress and the amounts available 
for the salaries and expenses of offices of Members, committees, and 
the leadership of Congress by 50 percent, to provide for further reduc-
tions in the salaries of Members of Congress to the extent that Congress 
is in session for more than 60 days during any session of a Congress, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 17, 2012 
Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Commit-
tees on Oversight and Government Reform, Rules, and Ethics, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To reduce the salaries of Members of Congress and the 
amounts available for the salaries and expenses of offices 
of Members, committees, and the leadership of Congress 
by 50 percent, to provide for further reductions in the 
salaries of Members of Congress to the extent that Con-
gress is in session for more than 60 days during any 
session of 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, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Citizen Legislator Act 
of 2012’’. 
SEC. 2. 50 PERCENT REDUCTION IN MEMBER SALARIES 
AND IN EXPENSES FOR MEMBER OFFICES, 
LEADERSHIP OFFICES, AND COMMITTEES. 
(a) MEMBER SALARIES.—Section 601(a)(1) of the 
Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 31(1)) 
by striking the matter following subparagraph (C) and in-
serting the following: ‘‘shall be 50 percent of the rate de-
termined for such positions for pay periods occurring dur-
ing fiscal year 2012, as adjusted by paragraph (2).’’ 
(b) SALARIES AND EXPENSES OF HOUSE OFFICES.— 
(1) MEMBERS
REPRESENTATIONAL
ALLOW-
ANCE.—Section 101 of the House of Representatives 
Administrative Reform Technical Corrections Act (2 
U.S.C. 57b) is amended— 
(A) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub-
section (f); and 
(B) by inserting after subsection (d) the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(e) LIMITATION ON AGGREGATE AMOUNT.—During 
fiscal year 2012 and each succeeding fiscal year, the ag-
gregate amount appropriated or otherwise made available 
for all Members’ Representational Allowances may not ex-
ceed 50 percent of the aggregate amount appropriated or 
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otherwise made available for such Allowances for fiscal 
year 2012.’’. 
(2) HOUSE LEADERSHIP OFFICES.—During fis-
cal year 2013 and each succeeding fiscal year, the 
aggregate amount appropriated or otherwise made 
available for the salaries and expenses of House 
leadership offices may not exceed 50 percent of the 
aggregate amount appropriated or otherwise made 
available for the salaries and expenses of such offices 
for fiscal year 2012. For purposes of this paragraph, 
the term ‘‘House leadership office’’ means, with re-
spect to any fiscal year, an office of the House of 
Representatives for which the appropriation for sala-
ries and expenses of the office for the year involved 
is provided under the heading ‘‘House Leadership 
Offices’’ in the act making appropriations for the 
Legislative Branch for the fiscal year involved. 
(3) HOUSE COMMITTEES.—During fiscal year 
2013 and each succeeding fiscal year, the aggregate 
amount appropriated or otherwise made available for 
the salaries and expenses of committees of the 
House of Representatives, including joint committees 
for which the amounts disbursed for salaries and ex-
penses are disbursed by the Chief Administrative Of-
ficer of the House of Representatives, may not ex-
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ceed 50 percent of the aggregate amount appro-
priated or otherwise made available for the salaries 
and expenses of such committees for fiscal year 
2012. 
(c) SALARIES
AND EXPENSES
OF SENATE OF-
FICES.— 
(1) PERSONAL
OFFICES.—During fiscal year 
2013 and each succeeding fiscal year, the aggregate 
amount appropriated or otherwise made available for 
the salaries and expenses of offices of Senators may 
not exceed 50 percent of the aggregate amount ap-
propriated or otherwise made available for the sala-
ries and expenses of such offices for fiscal year 
2012. 
(2) SENATE
LEADERSHIP
OFFICES.—During 
fiscal year 2013 and each succeeding fiscal year, the 
aggregate amount appropriated or otherwise made 
available for the salaries and expenses of Senate 
leadership offices may not exceed 50 percent of the 
aggregate amount appropriated or otherwise made 
available for the salaries and expenses of such offices 
for fiscal year 2012. For purposes of this paragraph, 
the term ‘‘Senate leadership offices’’ means the of-
fices of the President pro Tempore, Majority and 
Minority Leaders, Majority and Minority Whips, 
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Conferences of the Majority and of the Minority, 
and Majority and Minority Policy Committees of the 
Senate. 
(3) SENATE COMMITTEES.—During fiscal year 
2013 and each succeeding fiscal year, the aggregate 
amount appropriated or otherwise made available for 
the salaries and expenses of committees of the Sen-
ate, including joint committees for which the 
amounts disbursed for salaries and expenses are dis-
bursed by the Secretary of the Senate, may not ex-
ceed 50 percent of the aggregate amount appro-
priated or otherwise made available for the salaries 
and expenses of such committees for fiscal year 
2012. 
SEC. 3. REDUCTION IN MEMBER SALARIES FOR YEARS 
DURING WHICH CONGRESS EXCEEDS 60 DAYS 
IN SESSION. 
Section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act 
of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 31) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), in the matter following 
subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘paragraph (2)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) and (3)’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
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‘‘(3) REDUCTION FOR EXCEEDING 60 DAYS IN 
SESSION.— 
‘‘(A) REDUCTION.—For every 5 days on 
which a House of Congress is in session during 
a session of a Congress, each annual rate re-
ferred to in paragraph (1) which applies to 
members of that House shall be reduced by 10 
percent. 
‘‘(B) EXEMPTION FOR FIRST 60 DAYS AND 
PRO
FORMA
SESSIONS.—In determining the 
number of days on which a House of Congress 
is in session during a session of a Congress for 
purposes of subparagraph (A), there shall be 
excluded— 
‘‘(i) the first 60 days on which that 
House is in session; and 
‘‘(ii) any day on which that House is 
in session solely on a pro forma basis.’’. 
SEC. 4. REMOVAL OF LIMITATION ON OUTSIDE EARNED IN-
COME FOR MEMBERS, DELEGATES, AND THE 
RESIDENT COMMISSIONER. 
(a) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—(1) Clause 1(a) 
of rule XXV of the Rules of the House of Representatives 
is amended to read as follows: 
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‘‘1.(a)(1) Except as provided by paragraph (b), an 
officer or employee of the House may not have outside 
earned income attributable to a calendar year that exceeds 
15 percent of the annual rate of basic pay for level II of 
the Executive Schedule under section 5313 of title 5, 
United States Code, as of January 1 of that calendar year. 
‘‘(2) A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, 
officer, or employee of the House may not receive any hon-
orarium, except that an officer or employee of the House 
who is paid at a rate less than 120 percent of the min-
imum rate of basic pay for GS–15 of the General Schedule 
may receive an honorarium unless the subject matter is 
directly related to the official duties of the individual, the 
payment is made because of the status of the individual 
with the House, or the person offering the honorarium has 
interests that may be substantially affected by the per-
formance or nonperformance of the official duties of the 
individual.’’. 
(2) Clause 1(b) of rule XXV of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives is amended by striking ‘‘a Mem-
ber, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or em-
ployee’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘an officer or 
employee’’. 
(3) Rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Rep-
resentatives is amended by redesignating clause 18 as 
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clause 19 and by inserting after clause 17 the following 
new clause: 
‘‘17. A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, 
officer, or employee of the House may not derive any out-
side income as a result of the privilege of their office.’’. 
(b) SENATE.—(1) Paragraph 5 of rule XXXVII of 
the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended— 
(A) in subparagraph (a), by striking ‘‘Member, 
officer, or employee’’ and inserting ‘‘officer or em-
ployee’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (b), by striking ‘‘Member 
or’’. 
(2) Paragraph 6 of rule XXXVII of the Standing 
Rules of the Senate is amended— 
(A) in subparagraph (a), by striking ‘‘Member, 
officer, or employee’’ each place it appears and in-
serting ‘‘officer or employee’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (b), by striking ‘‘A Mem-
ber or an’’ and inserting ‘‘An’’. 
SEC. 5. RESTORATION OF ELECTION OF MEMBERS NOT TO 
PARTICIPATE IN FEDERAL EMPLOYEES’ RE-
TIREMENT SYSTEM. 
Section 8401(20) of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended by striking all that follows ‘‘System’’ and insert-
ing a semicolon. 
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SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall 
take effect January 1, 2013. 
Æ 
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