Pay Your Bills or Lose Your Pay Act of 2013 - Requires the appropriate payroll administrator of each house of Congress to deposit in an escrow account all mandatory payments for compensation of Members of Congress serving in that house during a specified period beginning when the federal government is unable to make payments or meet obligations because the public debt has been reached. Requires release of such payments to those Members only upon the earlier of: (1) the date on which both chambers present a bill to the President to increase the public debt, or (2) the last day of the 113th Congress.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2335 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2335
To prohibit Members of Congress from receiving pay when the Federal
Government is unable to make payments or meet obligations because the
public debt limit has been reached.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 12, 2013
Mr. McDermott introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on House Administration
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prohibit Members of Congress from receiving pay when the Federal
Government is unable to make payments or meet obligations because the
public debt limit has been reached.
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 ``Pay Your Bills or Lose Your Pay Act
of 2013''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) It is an American value to meet all obligations.
(2) A AAA credit rating is essential to the economic
standing of the United States in the world.
(3) The statutory debt limit was increased--
(A) 18 times during the presidency of Ronald
Reagan;
(B) 4 times during the presidency of George H. W.
Bush;
(C) 6 times during the presidency of William J.
Clinton; and
(D) 7 times during the presidency of George W.
Bush.
(4) Section 4 of the 14th Amendment of the United States
Constitution states ``the validity of the public debt of the
United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for
payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing
insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned''.
(5) The statutory debt limit is increased by Congress to
pay financial obligations authorized by Congress.
(6) The ratings agency Moody's has called for the public
debt limit to be eliminated.
(7) The United States is one of the few nations in the
world with a public debt limit.
(8) The annual budget resolution, voted on by members of
the Senate and House of Representatives, specifies the
appropriate level of the public debt for each fiscal year
covered by the resolution.
(9) At times the statutory debt limit must be increased to
honor financial obligations authorized and appropriated by
Congress and the President of the United States.
(10) The credit rating agency Standard and Poor's
downgraded the credit rating of the United States for the first
time in its history on August 5, 2011, citing ``political
brinksmanship'' as a primary reason for its action.
(11) In July 2012, the Government Accountability Office
estimated that the 2011 debt limit standoff cost taxpayers
$1,300,000,000 in fiscal year 2011, and the Government
Accountability Office further noted that ``Congress should
consider ways to . . . avoid potential disruptions to the
Treasury market and to help inform the fiscal policy debate in
a timely way.''.
(12) In January 2013, the Bipartisan Policy Center
estimated that the 10-year cost to taxpayers of the 2011 debt
limit standoff is $18,900,000,000.
SEC. 3. HOLDING SALARIES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN ESCROW UPON FAILURE
TO MEET DEBT OBLIGATIONS.
(a) Holding Salaries in Escrow.--
(1) In general.--If the Federal Government is unable to
make payments or meet obligations because the public debt limit
under section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, has been
reached, during the period described in paragraph (2) the
payroll administrator of each 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.--The period described in this
paragraph is the period beginning on the date on which the
Federal Government is unable to make payments or meet
obligations because the public debt limit under section 3101 of
title 31, United States Code, has been reached, and ending on
the earlier of--
(A) the date on which the House of Representatives
and the Senate present a bill to the President under
article I, section 7 of the Constitution of the United
States, to increase the public debt limit under section
3101 of title 31, United States Code; or
(B) the last day of the One Hundred Thirteenth
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 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 27th 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 One Hundred Thirteenth 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'' includes a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to 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.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E850-851)
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
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