[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5411 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5411
To hold the salaries of senior government officials in escrow and
prohibit the use of official funds for travel by such officials if each
of the regular appropriation bills for a fiscal year prior has not been
enacted into law by the beginning of the fiscal year, and for other
purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 29, 2021
Mr. Johnson of South Dakota (for himself, Mr. Phillips, and Mr. Weber
of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committees on
Oversight and Reform, House Administration, Rules, and the Budget, 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
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A BILL
To hold the salaries of senior government officials in escrow and
prohibit the use of official funds for travel by such officials if each
of the regular appropriation bills for a fiscal year prior has not been
enacted into law by the beginning of the fiscal year, 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 ``Governing Effectively, with
Transparency, Integrity, and Timeliness, and Doing Our Necessary
Expenditures Act'' or the ``GET IT DONE Act''.
SEC. 2. HOLDING SALARIES OF SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN ESCROW.
(a) Holding Salaries in Escrow.--
(1) In general.--If by the first day of a fiscal year, each
of the regular appropriation bills for such fiscal year has not
been enacted into law, during the period described in paragraph
(2) the applicable payroll administrator shall deposit in an
escrow account all payments otherwise required to be made
during such period for the compensation of senior government
officials, and shall release such payments to such officials
only upon the expiration of such period.
(2) Period described.--With respect to a fiscal year, the
period described in this paragraph is the period which begins
on the first day of the fiscal year and ends on the earlier
of--
(A) the first day by which each of the regular
appropriation bills for such fiscal year has been
enacted into law; or
(B) the last day of the Congress during which that
fiscal year begins.
(b) Administration of Escrow.--
(1) Withholding and remittance of amounts from payments
held in escrow.--The applicable payroll administrator shall
provide for the same withholding and remittance with respect to
a payment deposited in an escrow account under subsection (a)
that would apply to the payment if the payment were not subject
to such subsection.
(2) Role of secretary of the treasury.--The Secretary of
the Treasury shall provide the applicable payroll
administrators described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of
subsection (d) with such assistance as may be necessary to
enable the payroll administrators to carry out this section.
(c) Release of Amounts at End of Congress.--The applicable payroll
administrator shall release for payments to senior government officials
any amounts remaining in any escrow account under subsection (a) on the
last day of the Congress during which the amounts were deposited in
such account.
(d) Payroll Administrator Defined.--In this section, the term
``applicable payroll administrator'' means, with respect to a senior
government official--
(1) in the case of a senior government official who is a
Member of the House of Representatives (including a Delegate or
Resident Commissioner to the Congress), 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;
(2) in the case of a senior government official who is a
Senator, 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; and
(3) in the case of any other senior government official,
the Secretary of the Treasury.
SEC. 3. PROHIBITING OFFICIAL TRAVEL OF SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.
(a) Prohibition.--If, by the first day of a fiscal year, each of
the regular appropriation bills for such fiscal year has not been
enacted into law, no appropriated funds, including official funds of
the House of Representatives, official funds of the Senate, or funds
available under any Federal law, rule, or regulation, may be used to
pay for the costs of travel by a senior government official until each
such bill is enacted into law.
(b) Exception for Travel to Washington Metropolitan Area.--
Subsection (a) does not apply with respect to travel by a senior
government official to the Washington Metropolitan Area.
(c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``Washington
Metropolitan Area'' means the District of Columbia, the Counties of
Anne Arundel, Montgomery, and Prince Georges in Maryland, and the
Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon, and Prince William and the
Cities of Alexandria and Falls Church in Virginia.
SEC. 4. LIMITATIONS ON ADJOURNMENT.
Section 309 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 640)
is amended--
(1) in the heading, by striking ``house'';
(2) by striking ``It shall not'' and inserting ``(a)
Limitation on July Recess in House.--It shall not''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(b) Limitation on Adjournment.--Beginning on the first day of
each fiscal year, it shall not be in order in a House of Congress to
adjourn for a period of more than 12 hours until the House of Congress
has approved annual appropriation bills providing new budget authority
under the jurisdiction of all the subcommittees of the Committee on
Appropriations of that House for the fiscal year. For purposes of this
subsection, the chairs of the Committees on Appropriations of the House
of Representatives and Senate shall each periodically advise the
Speaker of the House or the majority leader of the Senate (as the case
may be) as to changes in jurisdiction among the various subcommittees
of such Committees.''.
SEC. 5. FUNDING THE GOVERNMENT.
(a) In General.--Chapter 13 of title 31, United States Code, is
amended by inserting after section 1310 the following new section:
``SEC. 1311. FUNDING THE GOVERNMENT.
``(a)(1) If any appropriation measure for a fiscal year is not
enacted before the beginning of such fiscal year, or a joint resolution
making continuing appropriations is not in effect, there are
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to continue any program,
project, or activity for which funds were provided in the preceding
fiscal year--
``(A) in the corresponding appropriation Act for such
preceding fiscal year; or
``(B) if the corresponding appropriation bill for such
preceding fiscal year did not become law, then in a joint
resolution making continuing appropriations for such preceding
fiscal year.
``(2)(A) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority
granted, for a program, project, or activity for any fiscal year
pursuant to this section shall be at a rate of operations not in excess
of the lower of--
``(i) 100 percent of the rate of operations provided for in
the regular appropriation Act providing for such program,
project, or activity for the preceding fiscal year;
``(ii) in the absence of such an Act, 100 percent of the
rate of operations provided for such program, project, or
activity pursuant to a joint resolution making continuing
appropriations for such preceding fiscal year; or
``(iii) 100 percent of the annualized rate of operations
provided for in the most recently enacted joint resolution
making continuing appropriations for part of that fiscal year
or any funding levels established under the provisions of this
Act,
for the period of 30 days. After the first 30-day period during which
this subsection is in effect for that fiscal year, the applicable rate
of operations shall be reduced by 2.5 percentage points. For each
subsequent 30-day period during which this subsection is in effect for
that fiscal year, the applicable rate of operations shall be reduced by
2.5 percentage points. The 30-day period reductions shall extend beyond
the last day of that fiscal year.
``(B) If this section is in effect at the end of a fiscal year,
funding levels shall continue as provided in this section for the next
fiscal year.
``(3) Appropriations and funds made available, and authority
granted, for any fiscal year pursuant to this section for a program,
project, or activity shall be available for the period beginning with
the first day of a lapse in appropriations and ending with the date on
which the applicable regular appropriation bill for such fiscal year
becomes law (whether or not such law provides for such program,
project, or activity) or a continuing resolution making appropriations
becomes law, as the case may be.
``(b) An appropriation or funds made available, or authority
granted, for a program, project, or activity for any fiscal year
pursuant to this section shall be subject to the terms and conditions
imposed with respect to the appropriation made or funds made available
for the preceding fiscal year, or authority granted for such program,
project, or activity under current law.
``(c) Expenditures made for a program, project, or activity for any
fiscal year pursuant to this section shall be charged to the applicable
appropriation, fund, or authorization whenever a regular appropriation
bill or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations until the
end of a fiscal year providing for such program, project, or activity
for such period becomes law.
``(d) This section shall not apply to a program, project, or
activity during a fiscal year if any other provision of law (other than
an authorization of appropriations)--
``(1) makes an appropriation, makes funds available, or
grants authority for such program, project, or activity to
continue for such period; or
``(2) specifically provides that no appropriation shall be
made, no funds shall be made available, or no authority shall
be granted for such program, project, or activity to continue
for such period.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections of chapter 13 of
title 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item
relating to section 1310 the following new item:
``1311. Funding the Government.''.
(c) Effective Date.--This section and the amendments made by this
section shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act--
(1) the term ``Member of Congress'' means a Senator or
Representative in, or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the
Congress;
(2) 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); and
(3) the term ``senior government official'' means--
(A) a Member of Congress;
(B) the President;
(C) the Vice President;
(D) the head of any executive department (as that
term is defined in section 101 of title 5, United
States Code); and
(E) any employee of, or detailee to, the Executive
Office of the President whose annual rate of basic pay
is equal to or greater than $158,000.
SEC. 7. EFFECTIVE DATE.
Except as provided in section 5(c), this Act and the amendments
made by this Act shall apply with respect to fiscal year 2022 and each
succeeding fiscal year.
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