Title: Solidarity in Salary Act of 2019
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Solidarity in Salary Act of 2019
This bill provides for withholding or eliminating the pay of Members of Congress, the President, and the Vice President during a government shutdown.
For the 116th Congress, the bill requires the salaries of Members of Congress to be held in escrow during a government shutdown and to be released on the earlier of (1) the date on which the government shutdown ends, or (2) the last day of the Congress.
Beginning with the 117th Congress, the bill prohibits Members of Congress from being paid for the period of a government shutdown.
The bill also requires the salaries of the President and the Vice President to be held in escrow during a government shutdown and to be released on the earlier of (1) the date on which the government shutdown ends, or (2) the last day of the term of office of the President and Vice President during which the government shutdown begins.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 845 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 845

    To prohibit the payment of a salary to Members of Congress, the 
    President, and the Vice President during periods during which a 
       Government shutdown is in effect, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 29, 2019

   Mr. Golden (for himself, Mr. Rose of New York, Mr. Crenshaw, Mr. 
    Cooper, Ms. Pingree, and Mr. Cox of California) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
Reform, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, 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 prohibit the payment of a salary to Members of Congress, the 
    President, and the Vice President during periods during which a 
       Government shutdown is in effect, 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 ``Solidarity in Salary Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITING PAYING SALARIES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS DURING 
              GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS.

    (a) Rule for One Hundred Sixteenth Congress.--
            (1) Holding salaries in escrow.--If on any day during a pay 
        period occurring during the One Hundred Sixteenth Congress a 
        Government shutdown is in effect, the payroll administrator of 
        each House of Congress shall--
                    (A) deposit in an escrow account and exclude from 
                the payments otherwise required to be made with respect 
                to that pay period for the compensation of each Member 
                of Congress who serves in that House of Congress an 
                amount equal to the product of--
                            (i) the daily rate of pay of the Member 
                        under section 601(a) of the Legislative 
                        Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501); and
                            (ii) the number of 24-hour periods during 
                        the pay period during which the Government 
                        shutdown is in effect; and
                    (B) release amounts deposited in an escrow account 
                under subparagraph (A) to such Member of Congress only 
                upon the expiration of the period described in 
                paragraph (2).
            (2) Period described.--The period described in this 
        paragraph is the period that--
                    (A) begins on the first day on which the applicable 
                Government shutdown is in effect; and
                    (B) ends on the earlier of--
                            (i) the date on which the applicable 
                        Government shutdown is no longer in effect; or
                            (ii) the last day of the One Hundred 
                        Sixteenth Congress.
            (3) Withholding and remittance of amounts from payments 
        held in escrow.--The payroll administrator of each House of 
        Congress shall provide for the same withholding and remittance 
        with respect to a payment deposited in an escrow account under 
        paragraph (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 subsection is carried out in a manner that 
        shall not vary the compensation of Senators or Representatives 
        in violation of the twenty-seventh amendment to the 
        Constitution of the United States, the payroll administrator of 
        a House of Congress shall release for payment 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 
        Sixteenth Congress.
    (b) Subsequent Congresses.--On and after the first day of the One 
Hundred Seventeenth Congress, if on any day during a pay period a 
Government shutdown is in effect, the payroll administrator of each 
House of Congress shall exclude from the payments otherwise required to 
be made with respect to that pay period for the compensation of each 
Member of Congress who serves in that House of Congress an amount equal 
to the product of--
            (1) the daily rate of pay of the Member under section 
        601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 
        4501); and
            (2) the number of 24-hour periods during the pay period 
        during which the Government shutdown is in effect.
    (c) Role of Secretary of the Treasury.--The Secretary of the 
Treasury shall provide the payroll administrator of each House of 
Congress with such assistance as may be necessary to enable the payroll 
administrator to carry out this Act.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``Member of Congress'' means an individual 
        serving in a position covered under subparagraph (A), (B), or 
        (C) of section 601(a)(1) of the Legislative Reorganization Act 
        of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501(1)); and
            (2) the term ``payroll administrator'', with respect to a 
        House of Congress, means--
                    (A) 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 Act; and
                    (B) 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 Act.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITING PAYING SALARIES OF PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT 
              DURING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS.

    (a) Holding Salaries in Escrow.--If on any day during a pay period 
occurring during the term of office of the President or Vice President 
a Government shutdown is in effect, the Director of the Office of 
Personnel Management shall--
            (1) deposit in an escrow account and exclude from the 
        payments otherwise required to be made with respect to that pay 
        period for the compensation of the President and the Vice 
        President an amount equal to the product of--
                    (A) the daily rate of pay of the President or Vice 
                President (as the case may be) under applicable law; 
                and
                    (B) the number of 24-hour periods during the pay 
                period during which the Government shutdown is in 
                effect; and
            (2) release amounts deposited in an escrow account under 
        paragraph (1) to the President and the Vice President only upon 
        the expiration of the period described in subsection (b).
    (b) Period Described.--The period described in this subsection is 
the period that--
            (1) begins on the first day on which the applicable 
        Government shutdown is in effect; and
            (2) ends on the earlier of--
                    (A) the date on which the applicable Government 
                shutdown is no longer in effect; or
                    (B) the last day of the term of office of the 
                President and Vice President during which the period 
                begins.
    (c) Withholding and Remittance of Amounts From Payments Held in 
Escrow.--The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall 
provide for the same withholding and remittance with respect to a 
payment deposited in an escrow account under subsection (a) that would 
apply to the payment if the payment were not subject to subsection (a).
    (d) Release of Amounts at End of Term.--The Director of the Office 
of Personnel Management shall release for payment to the President and 
Vice President any amounts remaining in the escrow account under this 
section on the last day of the term of office of the President and Vice 
President during which the period described in subsection (b) begins.

SEC. 4. GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``Government shutdown'' means a lapse in 
appropriations for 1 or more Federal agencies or departments as a 
result of a failure to enact a regular appropriations bill or 
continuing resolution.
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