[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 522 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 522

 To reduce a portion of the annual pay of Members of Congress for the 
 failure to adopt a concurrent resolution on the budget which does not 
         provide for a balanced budget, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 6, 2013

Mr. Daines (for himself and Mr. Messer) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in 
 addition to the Committees on the Budget and 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 reduce a portion of the annual pay of Members of Congress for the 
 failure to adopt a concurrent resolution on the budget which does not 
         provide for a balanced budget, 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; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Balanced Budget 
Accountability Act''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Federal debt exceeds $16 trillion, continues to 
        grow rapidly, and is larger than the size of the United States 
        economy.
            (2) The Federal budget has shown an annual deficit in 45 of 
        the last 50 years.
            (3) Deficits and the Federal debt threaten to shatter 
        confidence in the Nation's economy, suppress job creation and 
        economic growth, and leave future generations of Americans with 
        a lower standard of living and fewer opportunities.
            (4) It is the duty of Members of Congress to develop and 
        implement policies, including balancing the Federal budget, 
        that encourage robust job creation and economic growth in the 
        United States.
            (5) Members of Congress should be held accountable for 
        failing to pass annual budgets that result in a balanced 
        budget.

SEC. 2. REQUIRING ADOPTION OF BUDGET RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR BALANCED 
              BUDGETS.

    (a) Adoption of Budget Resolution.--Each House of Congress shall 
adopt a concurrent resolution on the budget for a fiscal year which 
provides that, for each fiscal year for which a budget is provided 
under the resolution (beginning not later than with the budget for 
fiscal year 2023), total outlays do not exceed total receipts.
    (b) Certification by Congressional Budget Office.--Upon the 
adoption by a House of Congress of a concurrent resolution on the 
budget for a fiscal year, the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office shall transmit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives or 
the President pro Tempore of the Senate (as the case may be) a 
certification as to whether or not that House of Congress has met the 
requirements of subsection (a) with respect to the resolution.
    (c) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to the 
concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2015 and each 
succeeding fiscal year.

SEC. 3. EFFECT OF FAILURE TO ADOPT RESOLUTION.

    (a) Rule for Fiscal Year 2015.--
            (1) Holding salaries in escrow.--If the Director of the 
        Congressional Budget Office (hereafter referred to as the 
        ``Director'') does not certify that a House of Congress has met 
        the requirements of section 2(a) with respect to fiscal year 
        2015 prior to April 16, 2014, 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, 
        the period described in this paragraph is the period which 
        begins on April 16, 2014, and ends on the earlier of--
                    (A) the day on which the Director certifies that 
                the House of Congress has met the requirements of 
                section 2(a) with respect to fiscal year 2015; 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 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 the congress.--In order to 
        ensure that this subsection is carried out in a manner that 
        shall not vary the compensation of Senators or Representatives 
        in violation of 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 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 subsection.
            (6) Payroll administrator defined.--In this subsection, 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.
    (b) Rule for Fiscal Year 2016 and Subsequent Fiscal Years.--If the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office does not certify that a 
House of Congress has met the requirements of section 2(a) with respect 
to a fiscal year prior to the April 16 which immediately precedes the 
first day of the fiscal year, during pay periods which occur in the 
same calendar year after that date each Member of that House shall be 
paid at an annual rate of pay equal to $1.
    (c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``Member'' includes a 
Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress.
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