[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 436 Introduced in House (IH)]





105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 436

         To eliminate certain benefits for Members of Congress.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 1997

 Mr. Sanford introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
  Committee on House Oversight, and in addition to the Committees on 
      Government Reform and Oversight, Rules, Transportation and 
Infrastructure, and National Security, 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 eliminate certain benefits for Members of Congress.

    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 ``Citizen Congress Act''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON RETIREMENT COVERAGE FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
effective at the beginning of the Congress next beginning after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, a Member of Congress shall be 
ineligible to participate in the Civil Service Retirement System or the 
Federal Employees' Retirement System, except as otherwise provided 
under this section.
    (b) Participation in the Thrift Savings Plan.--Notwithstanding 
subsection (a), a Member may participate in the Thrift Savings Plan 
subject to section 8351 of title 5, United States Code.
    (c) Refunds of Contributions.--(1) Nothing in subsection (a) shall 
prevent refunds from being made, in accordance with otherwise 
applicable provisions of law (including those relating to the Thrift 
Savings Plan), on account of an individual's becoming ineligible to 
participate in the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal 
Employees' Retirement System (as the case may be) as a result of the 
enactment of this section.
    (2) For purposes of any refund referred to in paragraph (1), a 
Member who so becomes ineligible to participate in either of the 
retirement systems referred to in paragraph (1) shall be treated in the 
same way as if separated from service.
    (d) Annuities Not Affected to the Extent Based on Prior Service.--
Subsection (a) shall not be considered to affect--
            (1) any annuity (or other benefit) entitlement to which is 
        based on a separation from service occurring before the date of 
        the enactment of this Act (including any survivor annuity based 
        on the death of the individual who so separated); or
            (2) any other annuity (or benefit), to the extent provided 
        under subsection (e).
    (e) Preservations of Rights Based on Prior Service.--(1) For 
purposes of determining eligibility for, or the amount of, any annuity 
(or other benefit) referred to in subsection (d)(2) based on service as 
a Member of Congress--
            (A) all service as a Member of Congress shall be 
        disregarded except for any such service performed before the 
        date of the enactment of this Act; and
            (B) all pay for service performed as a Member of Congress 
        shall be disregarded other than pay for service which may 
be taken into account under subparagraph (A).
    (2) To the extent practicable, eligibility for, and the amount of, 
any annuity (or other benefit) to which an individual is entitled based 
on a separation of a Member of Congress occurring after such Member 
becomes ineligible to participate in the Civil Service Retirement 
System or the Federal Employees' Retirement System (as the case may be) 
by reason of subsection (a) shall be determined in a manner that 
preserves any rights to which the Member would have been entitled, as 
of the date of the enactment of this Act, had separation occurred on 
such date.
    (f) Regulations.--Any regulations necessary to carry out this 
section may be prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management and the 
Executive Director (referred to in section 8401(13) of title 5, United 
States Code) with respect to matters within their respective areas of 
responsibility.
    (g) Definition.--As used in this section, the terms ``Member of 
Congress'' and ``Member'' mean any individual under section 8331(2) or 
8401(20) of title 5, United States Code.
    (h) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
considered to apply with respect to any savings plan or other matter 
outside of subchapter III of chapter 83 or chapter 84 of title 5, 
United States Code.

SEC. 3. DISCLOSURE OF ESTIMATES OF FEDERAL RETIREMENT BENEFITS OF 
              MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

    (a) In General.--Section 105(a) of the Legislative Branch 
Appropriations Act, 1965 (2 U.S.C. 104a; Public Law 88-454; 78 Stat. 
550) is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new 
paragraph:
    ``(4) The Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of 
Representatives shall include in each report submitted under paragraph 
(1), with respect to Members of Congress, as applicable--
            ``(A) the total amount of individual contributions made by 
        each Member to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund 
        and the Thrift Savings Fund under chapters 83 and 84 of title 
        5, United States Code, for all Federal service performed by the 
        Member as a Member of Congress and as a Federal employee;
            ``(B) an estimate of the annuity each Member would be 
        entitled to receive under chapters 83 and 84 of such title 
        based on the earliest possible date to receive annuity payments 
        by reason of retirement (other than disability retirement) 
        which begins after the date of expiration of the term of office 
        such Member is serving; and
            ``(C) any other information necessary to enable the public 
        to accurately compute the Federal retirement benefits of each 
        Member based on various assumptions of years of service and age 
        of separation from service by reason of retirement.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. ELIMINATION OF AUTOMATIC ANNUITY ADJUSTMENTS FOR MEMBERS OF 
              CONGRESS.

    The portion of annuity of a Member of Congress which is based 
solely on service as a Member of Congress shall not be subject to a 
COLA adjustment under section 8340 or 8462 of title 5, United States 
Code.

SEC. 5. ELIMINATION OF AUTOMATIC PAY ADJUSTMENTS FOR MEMBERS OF 
              CONGRESS.

    (a) Pay Adjustments.--Paragraph (2) of section 601(a) of the 
Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 31) is repealed.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 601(a)(1) of such Act is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``(a)(1)'' and inserting ``(a)'';
            (2) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) as 
        paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), respectively; and
            (3) by striking ``, as adjusted by paragraph (2) of this 
        subsection''.

SEC. 6. ROLLCALL VOTE FOR ANY CONGRESSIONAL PAY RAISE.

    It shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of 
Representatives to dispose of any amendment, bill, resolution, motion, 
or other matter relating to the pay of Members of Congress unless the 
matter is decided by a rollcall vote.

SEC. 7. TRAVEL AWARDS FROM OFFICIAL TRAVEL OF A MEMBER, OFFICER, OR 
              EMPLOYEE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO BE USED ONLY 
              WITH RESPECT TO OFFICIAL TRAVEL.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, or any 
rule, regulation, or other authority, any travel award that accrues by 
reason of official travel of a Member, officer, or employee of the 
House of Representatives may be used only with respect to official 
travel.
    (b) Regulations.--The Committee on House Oversight of the House of 
Representatives shall have authority to prescribe regulations to carry 
out this section.
    (c) Definitions.--As used in this section--
            (1) the term ``travel award'' means any frequent flier 
        mileage, free travel, discounted travel, or other travel 
        benefit, whether awarded by coupon, membership, or otherwise; 
        and
            (2) the term ``official travel'' means, with respect to the 
        House of Representatives, travel performed for the conduct of 
        official business of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 8. BAN ON MASS MAILINGS.

    (a) In General.--(1) Paragraph (6)(A) of section 3210(a) of title 
39, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
    ``(6)(A) It is the intent of Congress that a Member of, or Member-
elect to, Congress may not mail any mass mailing as franked mail.''.
    (2) The second sentence of section 3210(c) of title 39, United 
States Code, is amended by striking ``subsection (a)(4) and (5)'' and 
inserting ``subsection (a)(4), (5), and (6)''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--(1) Section 3210 of title 
39, United States Code, is amended--
            (A) in subsection (a)(3)--
                    (i) in subparagraph (G) by striking ``, including 
                general mass mailings,''; and
                    (ii) in subparagraphs (I) and (J) by striking ``or 
                other general mass mailing'';
            (B) in subsection (a)(6) by repealing subparagraphs (B), 
        (C), and (F), and the second sentence of subparagraph (D);
            (C) by repealing paragraph (7) of subsection (a); and
            (D) by repealing subsection (f).
    (2) Section 316(a) of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 
1990 (39 U.S.C. 3210 note) is repealed.
    (3) Subsection (f) of section 311 of the Legislative Branch 
Appropriations Act, 1991 (2 U.S.C. 59e(f)) is repealed.
    (c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect at the beginning of the Congress next beginning after the date 
of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 9. RESTRICTIONS ON USE OF MILITARY AIR COMMAND BY MEMBERS OF 
              CONGRESS.

    (a) Restrictions.--(1) Chapter 157 of title 10, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 2643. Restrictions on provision of air transportation to Members 
              of Congress
    ``(a) Restrictions.--A Member of Congress may not 
receive transportation in an aircraft of the Military Air Command 
unless--
            ``(1) the transportation is provided on a space-available 
        basis as part of the scheduled operations of the military 
        aircraft unrelated to the provision of transportation to 
        Members of Congress;
            ``(2) the use of the military aircraft is necessary because 
        the destination of the Member of Congress, or an airfield 
        located within reasonable distance of the destination, is not 
        accessible by regularly scheduled flights of commercial 
        aircraft; or
            ``(3) the use of the military aircraft is the least 
        expensive method for the Member of Congress to reach the 
        destination by aircraft, as demonstrated by information 
        released before the trip by the member or committee of Congress 
        sponsoring the trip.
    ``(b) Destination.--In connection with transportation provided 
under subsection (a)(1), the destination of the military aircraft may 
not be selected to accommodate the travel plans of the Member of 
Congress requesting such transportation.
    ``(c) Aircraft Defined.--For purposes of this section, the term 
`aircraft' includes both fixed-wing airplanes and helicopters.
    (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

``2643. Restrictions on provision of air transportation to Members of 
                            Congress.''.
    (b) Effect on Members Currently Receiving Transportation.--Section 
2643 of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall 
not apply with respect to a Member of Congress who, as of the date of 
the enactment of this Act, is receiving air transportation or is 
scheduled to receive transportation in an aircraft of the Military Air 
Command until the Member completes the travel plans for which the 
transportation is being provided or scheduled.

SEC. 10. PROHIBITION ON USE OF MILITARY MEDICAL TREATMENT FACILITIES BY 
              MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Prohibition.--(1) Chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end of the following:
``Sec. 1107. Prohibition on provision of medical and dental care to 
              Member of Congress
    ``A Member of Congress may not receive medical or dental care in 
any facility of any uniformed service unless--
            ``(1) the Member of Congress is eligible or entitled to 
        such care as a member or former member of a uniformed service 
        or as a covered beneficiary; or
            ``(2) such care is provided on an emergency basis unrelated 
        to the person's status as a Member of Congress.''.
    (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is 
amended by adding at the end of the following:

``1107. Prohibition on provision of medical and dental care to Members 
                            of Congress.''.
    (b) Effect on Members Currently Receiving Care.--Section 1107 of 
title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall not 
apply with respect to a Member of Congress who is receiving medical or 
dental care in a facility of the uniformed services on the date of the 
enactment of this Act until the Member is discharged from that 
facility.

SEC. 11. ELIMINATION OF CERTAIN RESERVED PARKING AREAS AT WASHINGTON 
              NATIONAL AIRPORT AND WASHINGTON DULLES INTERNATIONAL 
              AIRPORT.

    (a) In General.--Effective 30 days after the date of the enactment 
of this section, the Airports Authority--
            (1) shall not provide any reserved parking areas free of 
        charge to Members of Congress, other Government officials, or 
        diplomats at Washington National Airport or Washington Dulles 
        International Airport; and
            (2) shall establish a parking policy for such airports that 
        provides equal access to the public, and does not provide 
        preferential parking privileges to Members of Congress, other 
        Government officials, or diplomats.
    (b) Definitions.--As used in the section, the terms ``Airports 
Authority'', ``Washington National Airport'', and ``Washington Dulles 
International Airport'' have the same meanings as in section 6004 of 
the Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986 (49 U.S.C. App. 2453).
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