[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3158 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]

                                                       Calendar No. 334
111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3158

To require Congress to lead by example and freeze its own pay and fully 
  offset the cost of the extension of unemployment benefits and other 
                              Federal aid.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 23, 2010

Mr. Coburn introduced the following bill; which was read the first time

                             March 24, 2010

            Read the second time and placed on the calendar

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require Congress to lead by example and freeze its own pay and fully 
  offset the cost of the extension of unemployment benefits and other 
                              Federal aid.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. NO INCREASE IN PAY OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``The No Pay 
Raise for Congress Until the Budget is Balanced Act''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Article I, section 9, of the United States Constitution 
        makes Congress responsible for all money drawn from the United 
        States Treasury.
            (2) The United States national debt now exceeds 
        $12,600,000,000,000.
            (3) The Federal budget deficit is projected to amount to 
        $1,300,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and the annual deficits 
        will average nearly $1,000,000,000,000 for the next decade, 
        according to the Congressional Budget Office.
            (4) Each American's share of the United States national 
        debt amounts to more than $41,000.
            (5) The United States national debt increases more than 
        $4,000,000,000 each day.
            (6) Foreign investors held 48 percent of the United States' 
        outstanding public debt at the end of 2009, including 
        $776,400,000,000 the United States owes to Communist China.
            (7) For the first time ever, the Federal budget deficit has 
        been singled out as the most important issue facing the future 
        of the country, according to a Gallup poll conducted between 
        March 4 and March 7, 2010.
            (8) In the last six months, Congress has passed 4 major 
        extension bills, costing taxpayers nearly $30,000,000,000.
            (9) Eighty-three percent of Americans say the size of the 
        Federal budget deficit is due to the unwillingness of 
        politicians to cut Government spending and just 11 percent 
        think the Government spends taxpayers' money wisely, according 
        to a national survey conducted between February 2 and February 
        3, 2010, by Rasmussen Reports.
            (10) More than twice as many United States adults (58 
        percent) say that debt owed to China is a more serious threat 
        to the long-term security and well-being of the United States 
        than is terrorism from radical Islamic terrorists (27 percent), 
        according to a Zogby Interactive survey conducted between 
        February 17 and February 19, 2010.
            (11) For the reasons specified in paragraphs (1) through 
        (10)--
                    (A) Congress should make balancing the Federal 
                budget an urgent priority to protect the national 
                security, financial stability, and standard of living 
                of the United States;
                    (B) because Congress has long refused to make the 
                tough decisions necessary to cut wasteful spending, 
                reducing the national debt limit is the only sure way 
                to force Congress to live within its means;
                    (C) the pay for members of Congress, who are 
                constitutionally responsible for the money drawn from 
                the United States Treasury and the debt that results 
                from excessive spending, should not be increased until 
                Congress has balanced the Federal budget; and
                    (D) Congress should no longer approve irresponsible 
                legislation that adds to the deficit and burdens future 
                generations with more debt.
    (c) Restrictions on Pay of Members of Congress.--
            (1) Restriction on cola adjustments.--Notwithstanding any 
        other provision of law, no adjustment shall be made under 
        section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 
        U.S.C. 31) (relating to cost of living adjustments for Members 
        of Congress) during fiscal year 2011 or any succeeding fiscal 
        year, until the fiscal year following the first fiscal year 
        that the annual Federal budget deficit is $0 as determined in 
        the report submitted under paragraph (2).
            (2) Determinations and reports.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the 
                end of each fiscal year, the Secretary of the Treasury 
                shall--
                            (i) make a determination of whether or not 
                        the annual Federal budget deficit was $0 for 
                        that fiscal year; and
                            (ii) if the determination is that the 
                        annual Federal budget deficit was $0 for that 
                        fiscal year, submit a report to Congress of 
                        that determination.
                    (B) Restriction of cola adjustments.--Not later 
                than the end of each calendar year, the Secretary of 
                the Treasury shall submit a report to the Secretary of 
                the Senate and the Chief Administrative Officer of the 
                House of Representatives on--
                            (i) any determination made under 
                        subparagraph (A); and
                            (ii) whether or not the restriction under 
                        paragraph (1) shall apply to the succeeding 
                        fiscal year.

SEC. 2. REPEAL OF INCREASE OF THE OFFICE BUDGETS OF MEMBERS OF 
              CONGRESS.

    Of the funds made available under Public Law 111-68 for the 
legislative branch (except for any account under the heading ``CAPITOL 
POLICE''), $100,000,000 in unobligated balances are rescinded: 
Provided, That none of the funding available for the legislative branch 
be available for any pilot program for mailings of postal patron 
postcards by Senators for the purpose of providing notice of a town 
meeting by a Senator in a county (or equivalent unit of local 
government) at which the Senator will personally attend.

SEC. 3. RESCISSION OF UNSPENT AND UNCOMMITTED FEDERAL FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, of all 
available unobligated Federal funds, $9,200,000,000 in discretionary, 
unexpired funds are rescinded.
    (b) Implementation.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget shall--
            (1) identify the accounts and amounts rescinded to 
        implement subsection (a); and
            (2) submit a report to the Secretary of the Treasury and 
        Congress of the accounts and amounts identified under paragraph 
        (1) for rescission.
                                                       Calendar No. 334

111th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 3158

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To require Congress to lead by example and freeze its own pay and fully 
  offset the cost of the extension of unemployment benefits and other 
                              Federal aid.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             March 24, 2010

            Read the second time and placed on the calendar