Title: Ensure Washington Funds Government Responsibly Act
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance

Summary:
Ensure Washington Funds Government Responsibly Act
This bill provides continuing appropriations to prevent a government shutdown if any appropriations measure for a fiscal year has not been enacted before the fiscal year begins or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations is not in effect. It also prohibits Members of Congress and the President from being paid during any period in which the continuing appropriations are in effect.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1172 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1172

    To amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for automatic 
  continuing appropriations, to withhold the pay of the President and 
     Members of Congress during any period in which such automatic 
    continuing appropriations are in effect, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 13, 2019

Mr. Kildee (for himself and Mr. DeFazio) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition 
 to the Committees on Oversight and Reform, House Administration, and 
the Budget, 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 amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for automatic 
  continuing appropriations, to withhold the pay of the President and 
     Members of Congress during any period in which such automatic 
    continuing appropriations are 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 ``Ensure Washington Funds Government 
Responsibly Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTOMATIC CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 13 of title 31, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 1310 the following new section:

``SEC. 1311. CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``(a)(1) If any appropriation measure for a fiscal year is not 
enacted before the beginning of such fiscal year or a joint resolution 
making continuing appropriations is not in effect, there are 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to continue any program, 
project, or activity for which funds were provided in the preceding 
fiscal year--
            ``(A) in the corresponding appropriation Act for such 
        preceding fiscal year; or
            ``(B) if the corresponding appropriation bill for such 
        preceding fiscal year did not become law, then in a joint 
        resolution making continuing appropriations for such preceding 
        fiscal year.
    ``(2)(A) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority 
granted, for a program, project, or activity for any fiscal year 
pursuant to this section shall be at a rate of operations not in excess 
of the lower of--
            ``(i) 100 percent of the rate of operations provided for in 
        the regular appropriation Act providing for such program, 
        project, or activity for the preceding fiscal year, increased 
        by the percent increase (if any) in the Consumer Price Index 
        for Urban Consumers (CPI-U, published by the Bureau of Labor 
        Statistics of the Department of Labor) between the 2 months 
        immediately preceding the date this section begins to be in 
        effect;
            ``(ii) in the absence of such an Act, 100 percent of the 
        rate of operations provided for such program, project, or 
        activity pursuant to a joint resolution making continuing 
        appropriations for such preceding fiscal year, increased by the 
        percent increase (if any) in the CPI-U between the 2 months 
        immediately preceding the date this section begins to be in 
        effect; or
            ``(iii) 100 percent of the annualized rate of operations 
        provided for in the most recently enacted joint resolution 
        making continuing appropriations for part of that fiscal year 
        or any funding levels established under the provisions of this 
        Act, increased by the percent increase (if any) in the CPI-U 
        between the 2 months immediately preceding the date this 
        section begins to be in effect.
    ``(B) During the period in which this section is in effect in a 
fiscal year, the applicable rate of operations under subparagraph (A) 
shall be increased by the percent increase (if any) in the CPI-U. The 
increase provided under this subparagraph shall--
            ``(i) occur on any date during such period that the Bureau 
        publishes the CPI-U; and
            ``(ii) extend beyond the last day of that fiscal year in 
        the same manner.
    ``(C) If this section is in effect at the end of a fiscal year, 
funding levels shall continue as provided in this section for the next 
fiscal year.
    ``(D) During any period in which this section is in effect, any 
sequestration order with respect to discretionary spending under 
section 254 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
1985 (2 U.S.C. 904) shall have no force or effect.
    ``(3) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority 
granted, for any fiscal year pursuant to this section for a program, 
project, or activity shall be available for the period beginning with 
the first day of a lapse in appropriations and ending with the date on 
which the applicable regular appropriation bill for such fiscal year 
becomes law (whether or not such law provides for such program, 
project, or activity) or a continuing resolution making appropriations 
becomes law, as the case may be.
    ``(b) An appropriation or funds made available, or authority 
granted, for a program, project, or activity for any fiscal year 
pursuant to this section shall be subject to the terms and conditions 
imposed with respect to the appropriation made or funds made available 
for the preceding fiscal year, or authority granted for such program, 
project, or activity under current law.
    ``(c) Expenditures made for a program, project, or activity for any 
fiscal year pursuant to this section shall be charged to the applicable 
appropriation, fund, or authorization whenever a regular appropriation 
bill or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations until the 
end of a fiscal year providing for such program, project, or activity 
for such period becomes law.
    ``(d) This section shall not apply to a program, project, or 
activity during a fiscal year if any other provision of law (other than 
an authorization of appropriations)--
            ``(1) makes an appropriation, makes funds available, or 
        grants authority for such program, project, or activity to 
        continue for such period; or
            ``(2) specifically provides that no appropriation shall be 
        made, no funds shall be made available, or no authority shall 
        be granted for such program, project, or activity to continue 
        for such period.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections of chapter 13 of 
title 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 1310 the following new item:

``1311. Continuing appropriations.''.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITING PAYING THE PRESIDENT OR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHILE 
              AUTOMATIC CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ARE IN EFFECT.

    (a) Rule for One Hundred Sixteenth Congress.--
            (1) Holding salaries in escrow.--If a pay period occurs 
        during the One Hundred Sixteenth Congress during the period 
        described in paragraph (2), 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; 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 day on which appropriations and 
                funds are made available pursuant to section 1311 of 
                title 31, United States Code (as added by section 
                3(a)); and
                    (B) ends on the earlier of--
                            (i) the date on which appropriations and 
                        funds are no longer made available pursuant to 
                        section 1311 of such title; 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.--
            (1) Reduction in salaries.--If a pay period occurs during 
        the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress or any succeeding Congress 
        during the period described in paragraph (2), 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--
                    (A) 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
                    (B) the number of 24-hour periods during the pay 
                period.
            (2) Period described.--The period described in this 
        paragraph is the period that--
                    (A) begins on the day on which appropriations and 
                funds are made available pursuant to section 1311 of 
                title 31, United States Code (as added by section 
                3(a)); and
                    (B) ends on the date on which appropriations and 
                funds are no longer made available pursuant to section 
                1311 of such title.
    (c) President's Salary.--The salary of the President shall be 
withheld, deposited in escrow, and released in the same manner as 
prescribed under subsections (a) and (b) for a Member of Congress.
    (d) 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 section.
    (e) Definition.--In this section, the following definitions apply:
            (1) The term ``Member of Congress'' means a Senator or a 
        Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the 
        Congress.
            (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 section; 
                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 section.
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