Bill Details
HR.208 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-01-03 - Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Introduced Date
2025-01-03
Policy Area
Economics and Public Finance
Committees
View committees (1)
Cosponsors
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would withhold the pay of members of either the House or the Senate if that chamber does not approve a budget resolution for the next fiscal year by April 15. Instead of being paid right away, the money would be put into escrow and released later, when the chamber passes a budget resolution or when that Congress ends. The goal is to create a penalty for missing the budget deadline, while making sure the money is still paid out eventually in a way that avoids constitutional problems.
- If a chamber misses the April 15 deadline, that chamber’s payroll office must place members’ pay into an escrow account starting April 16.
- The withheld pay stays in escrow until the chamber approves a budget resolution or until the last day of that Congress, whichever comes first.
- Normal tax withholdings and other payroll deductions would still be taken out of the escrowed pay.
- The rule would also apply to House Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, and it would begin with fiscal year 2026.
Official Summaries
No Budget, No Pay Act
This bill withholds the salaries of Members of a chamber of Congress that has not agreed to a budget resolution for the next fiscal year by April 15, as required by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
Salaries are withheld from April 16 until the earlier of (1) the day on which the chamber of Congress agrees to a budget resolution for the next fiscal year, or (2) the last day of the Congress.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 208 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 208
To provide that the salaries of Members of a House of Congress will be
held in escrow if that House has not agreed to a concurrent resolution
on the budget for the next fiscal year by April 15.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 3, 2025
Mr. Wittman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on House Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide that the salaries of Members of a House of Congress will be
held in escrow if that House has not agreed to a concurrent resolution
on the budget for the next fiscal year by April 15.
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 ``No Budget, No Pay Act''.
SEC. 2. HOLDING SALARIES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN ESCROW UPON FAILURE
TO AGREE TO BUDGET RESOLUTION.
(a) Holding Salaries in Escrow.--
(1) In general.--If by April 15, a House of Congress has
not agreed to a concurrent resolution on the budget for the
next fiscal year pursuant to section 301 of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974, during the period described in paragraph
(2) the payroll administrator of that House of Congress shall
deposit in an escrow account all payments otherwise required to
be made during such period for the compensation of Members of
Congress who serve in that House of Congress, and shall release
such payments to such Members only upon the expiration of such
period.
(2) Period described.--With respect to a House of Congress,
the period described in this paragraph is the period which
begins on April 16 and ends on the earlier of--
(A) the day on which the House of Congress agrees
to a concurrent resolution on the budget for the next
fiscal year pursuant to section 301 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974; or
(B) the last day of the Congress.
(3) Withholding and remittance of amounts from payments
held in escrow.--The payroll administrator 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 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 Congress.
(5) 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.
(b) Treatment of Delegates as Members.--In this section, the term
``Member of Congress'' includes a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to
the Congress.
(c) 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.
(d) Effective Date.--This Act shall apply with respect to fiscal
year 2026 and each succeeding fiscal year.
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