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To withhold the pay of Members of Congress in certain cases, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill would withhold the pay of Members of Congress whenever active-duty military members do not receive their compensation due to a lapse in government appropriations. The withheld Congressional pay would be deposited in an escrow account and released once military members resume receiving their regular pay. If any withheld amounts remain at the end of a Congressional session, they would be released to members to comply with constitutional provisions regarding Congressional compensation. The Treasury Department would provide administrative support to implement the system.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. LaLota, Nick [R-NY-1] (R-NY)
Actions (2)
- Jan 16, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on House Administration. · house
- Jan 16, 2025 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
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Similar bills (6)
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Text versions (1)
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Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 16, 2025
Mr. LaLota introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration
A BILL
To withhold the pay of Members of Congress in certain cases, 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 “Troops Before Politicians Act”.
SEC. 2. WITHHOLDING OF PAY OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN CERTAIN CASES.
(a) Holding Salaries in Escrow.—If on any day during a pay period members of the Armed Forces, including the reserve components thereof, who perform active service during such period are not receiving amounts of pay due to such members, including as a result of a lapse in appropriations for a fiscal year, the payroll administrator of a House of Congress shall—
(1) withhold the payments otherwise required to be made during the period for the compensation of each Member of Congress who serves in that House of Congress; and
(2) deposit in an escrow account all amounts withheld under paragraph (1).
(b) Release of Amounts Held in Escrow.—
(1) Release.—The payroll administrator of a House of Congress shall release for payments to Members of that House of Congress any amounts in any escrow account under this subsection as soon as practicable after the date that the lapse in pay described in subsection (a) terminates.
(2) Special rule for one hundred nineteenth 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 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 subsection on the last day of the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress.
(c) 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 Act.
(d) Definitions.—In this section—
(1) the terms “active service” and “Armed Forces” have the meanings given such terms in section 101 of title 10, United States Code;
(2) the term “Member of Congress” means an individual serving in a position under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 (2 U.S.C. 4501);
(3) 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 Act; 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 Act; and
(4) the term “reserve components” means the components named in section 10101 of title 10, United States Code. <all>
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