[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4043 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4043

   To suspend the debt ceiling temporarily, to hold the salaries of 
Members of a House of Congress in escrow if the House of Congress does 
not agree to a budget resolution or pass regular appropriation bills on 
       a timely basis during a Congress, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 11, 2014

 Mr. Rothfus introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on House 
   Administration, 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 suspend the debt ceiling temporarily, to hold the salaries of 
Members of a House of Congress in escrow if the House of Congress does 
not agree to a budget resolution or pass regular appropriation bills on 
       a timely basis during a Congress, 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 ``Getting Government to Work Act of 
2014''.

SEC. 2. TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF DEBT CEILING.

    (a) Suspension.--Section 3101(b) of title 31, United States Code, 
shall not apply for the period beginning on the date of the enactment 
of this Act and ending on February 2, 2015.
    (b) Special Rule Relating to Obligations Issued During Suspension 
Period.--Effective February 3, 2015, the limitation in section 3101(b) 
of title 31, United States Code, as increased by section 3101A of such 
title, is increased to the extent that--
            (1) the face amount of obligations issued under chapter 31 
        of such title and the face amount of obligations whose 
        principal and interest are guaranteed by the United States 
        Government (except guaranteed obligations held by the Secretary 
        of the Treasury) outstanding on February 3, 2015, exceeds
            (2) the face amount of such obligations outstanding on the 
        date of the enactment of this Act.
An obligation shall not be taken into account under paragraph (1) 
unless the issuance of such obligation was necessary to fund a 
commitment incurred by the Federal Government that required payment 
before February 3, 2015.

SEC. 3. HOLDING SALARIES OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN ESCROW UPON FAILURE 
              TO AGREE TO BUDGET RESOLUTION OR PASS REGULAR 
              APPROPRIATIONS BILLS.

    (a) Failure To Pass Budget Resolution.--
            (1) Holding salaries in escrow.--If by April 15 of any 
        calendar year (beginning with 2015), a House of Congress has 
        not agreed to a concurrent resolution on the budget pursuant to 
        section 301 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 for the 
        fiscal year which begins on October 1 of that calendar year, 
        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 
        and a calendar year, the period described in this paragraph is 
        the period which begins on April 16 of the calendar year 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 fiscal 
                year which begins on October 1 of that calendar year; 
                or
                    (B) the last day of the Congress during which that 
                calendar year occurs.
    (b) Failure To Pass Regular Appropriation Bills.--
            (1) Holding salaries in escrow.--If by July 31 of any 
        calendar year (beginning with 2014), a House of Congress has 
        not passed each of the regular appropriation bills for the 
        fiscal year which begins on October 1 of that calendar year, 
        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 
        and a calendar year, the period described in this paragraph is 
        the period which begins on August 1 of the calendar year and 
        ends on the earlier of--
                    (A) the first day by which the House of Congress 
                has passed each of the regular appropriation bills for 
                the fiscal year which begins on October 1 of that 
                calendar year; or
                    (B) the last day of the Congress during which that 
                calendar year occurs.
            (3) Regular appropriation bill defined.--The term ``regular 
        appropriation bill'' means any annual appropriation bill which, 
        with respect to the Congress involved, is under the 
        jurisdiction of a single subcommittee of the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives (pursuant to the 
        Rules of the House of Representatives for that Congress) and a 
        single subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations of the 
        Senate (pursuant to the Standing Rules of the Senate).
    (c) Administration of Escrow.--
            (1) 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 subsection (a) or 
        subsection (b) that would apply to the payment if the payment 
        were not subject to such section.
            (2) 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.
    (d) Release of Amounts at End of a Congress.--In order to ensure 
that this section is carried out in a manner consistent with 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 during which the amounts were deposited in such account.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``Member'' includes a Delegate or Resident 
        Commissioner to the Congress; and
            (2) the ``payroll administrator'' of a House of Congress 
        means--
                    (A) 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
                    (B) 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.
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