Bill > HR209

This bill introduces a mechanism to incentivize Congress to pass regular appropriation bills on time by holding the salaries of Members of Congress in escrow if they fail to do so. Starting in fiscal year 2026, if either the House or Senate has not passed all of their regular appropriation bills by the first day of the fiscal year, the payroll administrator for that chamber will deposit the Members' compensation into an escrow account. These funds will remain in escrow until either all appropriation bills are passed or the end of the current Congressional session. A "regular appropriation bill" is defined as an annual spending bill under the jurisdiction of a single appropriations subcommittee in each chamber. The bill ensures that standard tax withholdings will still apply to the escrowed funds, and the Secretary of the Treasury will assist in implementing this process. To comply with the 27th Amendment (which governs congressional pay changes), any funds remaining in escrow will be released at the end of the Congress. The bill broadly defines "Members" to include Delegates and Resident Commissioners, and specifies that the Chief Administrative Officer of the House and the Secretary of the Senate will serve as the payroll administrators responsible for managing these escrow accounts.