Title: Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2017
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2017
This bill requires the salaries of Members of Congress to be reduced in any year that follows a year in which there was a federal budget deficit.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4512 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4512

   To provide that the rates of pay for Members of Congress shall be 
 reduced following any fiscal year in which there is a Federal deficit.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 1, 2017

   Mr. Blum introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on 
   Oversight and Government 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 committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide that the rates of pay for Members of Congress shall be 
 reduced following any fiscal year in which there is a Federal deficit.

    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 ``Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2017''.

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 Government for such fiscal 
        year (as determined under section 3(d)); and
            (2) the term ``Member of Congress'' or ``Member'' means an 
        individual serving in a position referred to in section 
        601(a)(1) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 
        U.S.C. 4501(1)).

SEC. 3. EFFECT OF A DEFICIT.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if 
there is a deficit in a fiscal year, then--
            (1) any pay adjustment for Members of Congress scheduled to 
        take effect under section 601(a) of the Legislative 
        Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501) 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 required under this 
subsection is as follows:
            (1) If the reduction is to take effect in a calendar year 
        that does not immediately follow another calendar year in which 
        a reduction under this section 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 calendar year 
        that immediately follows another calendar 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 restored to the 
        highest rate that was at any time previously payable for the 
        office involved; and
            (2) pay adjustments scheduled to take effect on or after 
        such first day under the provision of law referred 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 Director shall exclude any budget outlays resulting 
from a formal declaration of war by Congress.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this 
Act, except that no determination under section 3(d) shall be made with 
respect to any fiscal year before fiscal year 2018.
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