Congressional Pay Accountability Act of 2011

Congressional Pay Accountability Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, if all of the regular appropriation bills for a fiscal year do not become law before the beginning of that fiscal year, to: (1) deposit all payments otherwise required to be made for the compensation of Members of Congress in an escrow account, and (2) release them to the Members only upon the enactment of all such bills.

Requires a 25% reduction in a Member's annual rate of pay for pay periods occurring during any Congress if all of the regular appropriation bills for the fiscal year in which that Congress begins do not become law before the first day of such Congress.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1454 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1454

To require the salaries of Members of Congress to be held in escrow if 
all regular appropriation bills for a fiscal year have not been enacted 
      by the beginning of the fiscal year, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 8, 2011

 Mr. Hultgren 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 require the salaries of Members of Congress to be held in escrow if 
all regular appropriation bills for a fiscal year have not been enacted 
      by the beginning of the fiscal year, 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 ``Congressional Pay Accountability Act 
of 2011''.

SEC. 2. HOLDING SALARIES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN ESCROW UPON FAILURE 
              TO ENACT REGULAR APPROPRIATION BILLS FOR FISCAL YEAR.

    (a) Escrow.--
            (1) In general.--If all of the regular appropriation bills 
        for a fiscal year do not become law before the beginning of 
        such fiscal year, the Secretary of the Treasury shall deposit 
        all payments otherwise required to be made for the compensation 
        of Members of Congress in an escrow account, and shall release 
        such payments to the Members only upon the enactment of all 
        such bills.
            (2) Withholding and remittance of amounts from payments 
        held in escrow.--The Secretary of the Treasury 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) Coordination with house and senate.--The Secretary of 
        the Treasury shall enter into such agreements with the Chief 
        Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives and the 
        Secretary of the Senate as may be necessary to carry out this 
        subsection.
    (b) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to 
fiscal year 2012 and each succeeding fiscal year.

SEC. 3. REDUCTION IN SALARY UPON FAILURE TO ENACT REGULAR APPROPRIATION 
              BILLS PRIOR TO BEGINNING OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Reduction in Salary.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, if all of the regular appropriation bills for the fiscal year in 
which a Congress begins do not become law before the first day of the 
Congress, the annual rate of pay for each Member of Congress for pay 
periods occurring during the Congress shall be the applicable rate in 
effect for the most recent pay period prior to the Congress reduced by 
25 percent, rounded to the nearest multiple of $100 (or, if midway 
between multiples of $100, to the next higher multiple of $100).
    (b) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to the 
One Hundred Thirteenth Congress and each succeeding Congress.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Member of Congress.--In this Act, 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. 31).
    (b) Regular Appropriation Bill.--In this Act, the term ``regular 
appropriation bill'' means any annual appropriation bill making 
appropriations, otherwise making funds available, or granting 
authority, for any of the following categories of projects and 
activities:
            (1) Agriculture, rural development, Food and Drug 
        Administration, and related agencies programs.
            (2) The Departments of Commerce, Justice, Science, and 
        related agencies.
            (3) The Department of Defense.
            (4) Energy and water development, and related agencies.
            (5) Financial services and general Government.
            (6) The Department of Homeland Security.
            (7) The Department of the Interior, environment, and 
        related agencies.
            (8) The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, 
        and Education, and related agencies.
            (9) The legislative branch.
            (10) Military construction and veterans affairs.
            (11) The Department of State, foreign operations, and 
        related programs.
            (12) The Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban 
        Development, and related agencies.
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