H.R. 141 — Introduced in House

I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 141 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 9, 2023Ms. Craig introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, 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 the pay of Members of the House of Representatives if a Speaker is not elected on the first day of a Congress. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the No Pay for Disarray Act. 2. Reduction of pay of Members of House if Speaker is not elected (a) Reduction of pay (1) Reduction If, by the end of the first day of a Congress, the House of Representatives has not elected a Speaker, the annual rate of pay applicable under section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501) with respect to each Member of the House of Representatives for the year shall be reduced by an amount equal to the product of— (A) an amount equal to one day’s worth of pay under such annual rate; and (B) the number of 24-hour periods occurring during the Congress during which no Speaker has been elected for the Congress. (2) Effective date This subsection shall apply with respect to the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress and each succeeding Congress. (b) Rule for One Hundred Eighteenth Congress (1) Holding salaries in escrow If, by the end of the first day of the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, the House of Representatives has not elected a Speaker, 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 Act, shall— (A) deposit in an escrow account and exclude from the payments otherwise required to be made for the compensation of each Member of the House of Representatives with respect to a pay period during which the House has not elected a Speaker an amount equal to the product of— (i) the daily rate of pay of the Member under section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501); and (ii) the number of 24-hour periods during which no Speaker has been elected for the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress; and (B) release amounts deposited in an escrow account under subparagraph (A) to such Member of the House of Representatives only upon the expiration of the period described in paragraph (2). (2) Period described The period described in this paragraph is the period that— (A) begins on the first day of the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress; and (B) ends on the earlier of— (i) the date on the House elects a Speaker for the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress; or (ii) the last day of the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress. (3) Withholding and remittance of amounts from payments held in escrow 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 Act, 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 Representatives in violation of the twenty-seventh amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 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 Act, shall release for payment to Members of the House of Representatives any amounts remaining in any escrow account under this section on the last day of the One Hundred Eighteenth Congress. (c) Member defined In this section, the term Member of the House of Representatives means an individual serving in a position in the House of Representatives which is covered under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of section 601(a)(1) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501(1)).