I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3736
To provide that pay for Members of Congress be reduced following any 
fiscal year in which there is a Federal deficit. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 28, 2004
Mr. DEAL of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee 
on Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide that pay for Members of Congress be reduced 
following any fiscal year in which there is a Federal deficit.
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 ‘‘Fiscal Responsibility 
Act of 2004’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
For the purpose of this Act—
(1) a ‘‘deficit’’ shall be considered to exist in a 
fiscal year if total budget outlays of the Government
for such fiscal year exceed total revenues of the Gov-
ernment for such fiscal year (as determined under 
section 3(d)); and 
(2) the term ‘‘Member of Congress’’ or ‘‘Mem-
ber’’ means an individual serving in a position re-
ferred to in section 601(a)(1) of the Legislative Re-
organization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 31(1)). 
SEC. 3. EFFECT OF A DEFICIT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, if there is a deficit in a fiscal year, then—
(1) any pay adjustment for Members of Con-
gress scheduled to take effect under section 601(a) 
of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 
U.S.C. 31) in the succeeding calendar year shall be 
null and void; and 
(2) effective as of the first day of the first pay 
period beginning in that succeeding calendar year, 
rates of basic pay for Members of Congress shall be 
reduced (from the rate in effect as of the day before 
the start of such succeeding calendar year) by the 
amount determined under subsection (b), but not 
below zero. 
(b) REDUCTIONS REQUIRED.—The reduction re-
quired under this subsection is as follows:
(1) If the reduction is to take effect in a cal-
endar year that does not immediately follow another 
calendar year in which a reduction under this sec-
tion was made, the reduction amount shall be equal 
to 5 percent of the rate of basic pay last in effect 
before such reduction is made. 
(2) If the reduction is to take effect in a cal-
endar year that immediately follows another cal-
endar year in which a reduction under this section 
was made, the reduction amount shall be equal to 10 
percent of the rate of basic pay last in effect before 
the most recent reduction under paragraph (1) was 
made. 
(c) CONDITIONS FOR RESTORATION.—If, following 
one or more years in which Members’ pay is reduced under 
this Act, there occurs a fiscal year in which there is no 
deficit, then, effective as of the first day of the first pay 
period in the succeeding calendar year (and until another 
deficit triggering the preceding provisions of this section 
occurs)—
(1) rates of basic pay for Members shall be re-
stored to the highest rate that was at any time pre-
viously payable for the office involved; and
(2) pay adjustments scheduled to take effect on 
or after such first day under the provision of law re-
ferred to in subsection (a)(1) shall be effective. 
(d) DETERMINATIONS.—Determinations of whether 
or not a deficit exists in any fiscal year shall, for purposes 
of this Act, be made by the Director of the Congressional 
Budget Office. In making any such determination, the Di-
rector shall exclude any budget outlays which (as deter-
mined by the Director) directly relate to a military conflict 
that lasts over 30 days or that is in direct response to 
a terrorist attack on the United States. 
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This Act shall take effect on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, except that no determination under sec-
tion 3(d) shall be made with respect to any fiscal year 
before fiscal year 2005.
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