Hold Congress Accountable Act
Bill: H.R.1774 | Sponsor: Rep. Schrader, Kurt (D-OR)
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Hold Congress Accountable Act
This bill withholds or eliminates the pay of Members of Congress during a government shutdown.
Through the day of the general election in November 2022, any salary earned by Members during a government shutdown must be held in escrow and released on the last day of the 117th Congress.
After the November 2022 general election, a Member shall not be paid for any day during which the government is shut down.

To reduce the annual rate of pay of Members of Congress if a Government 
         shutdown occurs during a year, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Hold Congress Accountable Act''.

SEC. 2. REQUIRING REDUCTION OF PAY OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IF GOVERNMENT 
              SHUTDOWN OCCURS.

    (a) Reduction of Pay for Each Day of Government Shutdown.--If on 
any day during a year a Government shutdown is in effect, the annual 
rate of pay applicable under section 601(a) of the Legislative 
Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501) with respect to each Member 
of Congress for the year shall be reduced by an amount equal to the 
product of--
            (1) an amount equal to one day's worth of pay under such 
        annual rate; and
            (2) the number of 24-hour periods during which the 
        Government shutdown is in effect.
    (b) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to days 
occurring after the date of the regularly scheduled general election 
for Federal office held in November 2022.

SEC. 3. SPECIAL RULE FOR ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS.

    (a) Holding Salaries in Escrow.--If on any day during the One 
Hundred Seventeenth Congress a Government shutdown is in effect, the 
payroll administrator of that House of Congress shall--
            (1) withhold from the payments otherwise required to be 
        made with respect to a pay period for the compensation of each 
        Member of Congress who serves in that House of Congress an 
        amount equal to the product of--
                    (A) an amount equal to one day's worth of pay under 
                the annual rate of pay applicable to the Member under 
                section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 
                1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501); and
                    (B) the number of 24-hour periods during which the 
                Government shutdown is in effect which occur during the 
                pay period; and
            (2) deposit in an escrow account all amounts withheld under 
        paragraph (1).
    (b) 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 
compensation of Senators or Representatives in violation of 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 this section on the last day of the One 
Hundred Seventeenth Congress.
    (c) Role of Secretary of the Treasury.--The Secretary of the 
Treasury shall provide the payroll administrators of the Houses of 
Congress with such assistance as may be necessary to enable the payroll 
administrators to carry out this section.
    (d) Payroll Administrator Defined.--In this section, the ``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 Secretary of the Senate who 
        is designated by the Secretary to carry out this section.
    (e) Exception for Days Occurring After General Election.--This 
section does not apply with respect to any day during the One Hundred 
Seventeenth Congress which occurs after the date of the regularly 
scheduled general election for Federal office held in November 2022.

SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN.

    For purposes of this Act, a Government shutdown shall be considered 
to be in effect if there is a lapse in appropriations for any Federal 
agency or department as a result of a failure to enact a regular 
appropriations bill or continuing resolution.

SEC. 5. MEMBER OF CONGRESS DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``Member of Congress'' means an individual 
serving in a position under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of section 
601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501).
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