,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bcce  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,june #ab1 #bjac ,mr4
 ,mc,dermott introduced the following   
bill2 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 reached4    
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,pay ,your ,bills or ,lose ,your
 ,pay ,act of #bjac4  #b4 ,findings     
,congress finds the following3  7#a7 ,it
 is an ,american value to meet all      
obligations4  7#b7 ,a ,,aaa credit      
rating is essential to the economic     
standing of the ,united ,states in the  
world4  7#c7 ,the statutory debt limit  
was increased--  7,a7 #ah times during  
the presidency of ,ronald ,reagan2  7,b7
 #d times during the presidency of      
,george ,h4 ,w4 ,bush2  7,c7 #f times   
during the presidency of ,william ,j4   

,clinton2 and  7,d7 #g times during the 
presidency of ,george ,w4 ,bush4  7#d7  
,section #d of the #adth ,amendment of  
the ,united ,states ,constitution states
 the validity of the public debt of the 
,united ,states1 authorized by law1     
including debts incurred for payment of 
pensions and bounties for services in   
suppressing insurrection or rebellion1  
shall not be questioned4  7#e7 ,the     
statutory debt limit is increased by    
,congress to pay financial obligations  
authorized by ,congress4  7#f7 ,the     
ratings agency ,moody's has called for  
the public debt limit to be eliminated4 
7#g7 ,the ,united ,states is one of the 
few nations in the world with a public  
debt limit4  7#h7 ,the annual budget    
resolution1 voted on by members of the  
,senate and ,house of ,representatives1 
specifies the appropriate level of the  
public debt for each fiscal year covered
 by the resolution4  7#i7 ,at times the 
statutory debt limit must be increased  
to honor financial obligations          

authorized and appropriated by ,congress
 and the ,president of the ,united      
,states4  7#aj7 ,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 #e1 #bjaa1 citing political     
brinksmanship as a primary reason for   
its action4  7#aa7 ,in ,july #bjab1 the 
,government ,accountability ,office     
estimated that the #bjaa debt limit     
standoff cost taxpayers #a1cjj1jjj1jjj  
in fiscal year #bjaa1 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 way44  7#ab7 ,in ,january   
#bjac1 the ,bipartisan ,policy ,center  
estimated that the #aj-year cost to     
taxpayers of the #bjaa debt limit       
standoff is #ah1ijj1jjj1jjj4  #c4       
,holding salaries of ,members of        
,congress in escrow upon failure to meet

 debt obligations  7a7 ,holding salaries
 in escrow  7#a7 ,in general ,if the    
,federal ,government is unable to make  
payments or meet obligations because the
 public debt limit under section #caja  
of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 has
 been reached1 during the period        
described in paragraph 7#b7 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 ,congress1  
and shall release such payments to such 
,members only upon the expiration of    
such period4  7#b7 ,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 #caja of title #ca1 ,united     
,states ,code1 has been reached1 and    
ending on the earlier of--  7,a7 the    

date on which the ,house of             
,representatives and the ,senate present
 a bill to the ,president under article 
,i1 section #g of the ,constitution of  
the ,united ,states1 to increase the    
public debt limit under section #caja of
 title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code2 or   
7,b7 the last day of the ,one ,hundred  
,thirteenth ,congress4  7#c7            
,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 7#a7 that would 
apply to the payment if the payment were
 not subject to paragraph 7#a74  7#d7   
,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    
#bgth ,amendment to the ,constitution of
 the ,united ,states1 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 ,congress4  7#e7  
,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 section4  7b7 ,treatment of       
delegates as members ,in this section1  
the term ,member includes a ,delegate or
 ,resident ,commissioner to ,congress4  
7c7 ,payroll ,administrator defined ,in 
this section1 the payroll administrator 
of a ,house of ,congress means--  7#a7  
in the case of the ,house of            
,representatives1 the ,chief            
,administrative ,officer of the ,house  
of ,representatives1 or an employee of  
the ,office of the ,chief               
,administrative ,officer who is         

designated by the ,chief ,administrative
 ,officer to carry out this section2 and
  7#b7 in the case of the ,senate1 the  
,secretary of the ,senate1 or an        
employee of the ,office of the          
,secretary of the ,senate who is        
designated by the ,secretary to carry   
out this section4