I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 536 
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 2018 by April 15, 2017, and to withhold 
the salary of the Director of OMB upon failure to submit the President’s 
budget to Congress as required by section 1105 of title 31, United 
States Code. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 13, 2017 
Mr. BIGGS 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 subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
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 2018 by April 15, 2017, and to withhold the salary 
of the Director of OMB upon failure to submit the 
President’s budget to Congress as required by section 
1105 of title 31, United States Code. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:12 Jan 23, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H536.IH
H536
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protection From 
Obamacare Mandates and Congressional Equity Act’’. 
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, 2017, a 
House of Congress has not agreed to a concurrent 
resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018 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, 
2017, 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 2018 pursuant to section 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:06 Jan 19, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H536.IH
H536
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
301 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974; 
or 
(B) the last day of the One Hundred Fif-
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 Fif-
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 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:06 Jan 19, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H536.IH
H536
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
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. 3. 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— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:06 Jan 19, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H536.IH
H536
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
(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 Chairpersons of the Committee on 
the Budget and the Committee on Appropriations of 
the Senate and the Chairpersons of the Committee 
on the Budget and the Committee on Appropriations 
of the House of Representatives. 
SEC. 4. 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 3. 
(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 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:06 Jan 19, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H536.IH
H536
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
the Office of Personnel Management under section 3 at 
any time after the end of that period. 
SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
Sections 3 and 4 shall take effect upon the date of 
enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:06 Jan 19, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H536.IH
H536
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS