No Pay Until Peace Act

Bill: 118-hr-7561
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5]
Introduced: 2024-03-06
Policy area: Congress
Latest action: action_date: 2024-03-06
text: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, 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.

Summaries:

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7561 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 6, 2024 Mr. Cleaver introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration , and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability , 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 reduce the pay of Members of Congress when a mass shooting occurs in the United States, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the No Pay Until Peace Act . 2. Requiring withholding of pay of Members of Congress if mass shooting occurs (a) Reduction of pay If during any month of a year a mass shooting occurs in the United States, 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 month’s worth of pay under such annual rate; and (2) the number of months during the year during which a mass shooting occurs in the United States. (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 2024. 3. Special rule for One Hundred Eighteenth Congress (a) In general (1) Holding salaries in escrow If a mass shooting occurs in the United States during a pay period occurring during a session of the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress after the date of the enactment of this Act, the payroll administrator of each House of Congress shall— (A) deposit in an escrow account the compensation for such pay period of each Member of Congress who serves in that House of Congress; and (B) release amounts deposited in an escrow account under subparagraph (A) to such Member of Congress on the last day of the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress. (2) 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). (3) 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 Eighteenth Congress. (b) 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 subtitle. (c) Exception for days occurring after general election This section does not apply with respect to any pay period during the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress which occurs after the date of the regularly scheduled general election for Federal office held in November 2024. (d) Payroll administrator defined In this section, the term payroll administrator , with respect to 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 Act; 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 Act. 4. Definitions In this Act— (1) the term mass shooting means 4 or more injuries in a single incident by the use of a firearm (as defined in section 921 of title 18, United States Code); and (2) 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 ).