Scott Powers
The latest version of a bill that would eliminate paychecks for Congress if it fails to pass a budget has drawn early support from two Republicans and one Democrat in Florida’s U.S. House of Representatives delegation.
Democrat U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Winter Park, and Republican U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan of Longboat Key and Ron DeSantis are among the first co-sponsors of House Resolution 1779, introduced Wednesday.
The bill, similar to others introduced almost every year and actually passed on a limited, one-year basis in 2013, provides that members of Congress “may not receive pay after October 1 of any fiscal year in which Congress has not approved a concurrent resolution on the budget and passed the regular appropriations bills.”
Murphy included the pledge as part of her campaign last year, though her opponent Republican then-U.S. Rep. John Mica also supported it, and voted for the 2013 legislation. Buchanan and DeSantis have supported it in the past as well.
Also kindred, though on a similar resolution, is U.S. Rep. Bill Posey of Rockledge, who signed on in January as a co-sponsor to House Resolution 429. That bill would affect this year only, and would put congressional salaries in escrow if Congress doesn’t pass a budget by April 15. Congress is unlikely to reach that deadline, in a little over two weeks now, and HR 429 has stalled since it was referred to the House Committee on House Administration in January.
The bill Murphy, Buchanan and DeSantis cosponsored actually shoots for next year, with a Feb. 1, 2018, enactment, aiming at the 2018 budget due on April 15, 2018.
“Most Americans have to do their jobs on time or they don’t get paid. Congress should be held to the same commonsense standard,” Murphy stated in a news release.
