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HR 298 116th Congress House

Balanced Budget Accountability Act

Official title: To reduce a portion of the annual pay of Members of Congress for the failure to adopt a concurrent resolution on the budget which does not provide for a balanced budget, and for other purposes.

Introduced: January 8, 2019 See on congress.gov
Congress Budget deficits and national debtBudget processGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementIncome tax rates
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jan 8, 2019
Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Reform, and Rules, 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.
Jan 8, 2019
Introduced in House
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 Latest action January 8, 2019

Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Reform, and Rules, 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.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Balanced Budget Accountability Act

This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), upon adoption by a chamber of Congress of a concurrent budget resolution for a fiscal year, to certify to the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the President pro tempore of the Senate whether that chamber has adopted a balanced budget.

Balanced budget means a concurrent budget resolution providing that for FY2027 and each succeeding fiscal year to which the resolution applies total outlays do not exceed total receipts and are not more than 18% of the gross domestic product for such fiscal year.

The bill requires the salary of Members of Congress to be held in escrow if OMB determines a chamber has not adopted a balanced budget for FY2020 before April 16, 2019, and for FY2021 before April 16, 2020. The bill also provides for the release of such funds to the Members.

Beginning in FY2022, if OMB does not certify that a chamber has adopted a balanced budget before April 16 of the prior fiscal year, each Member of that chamber shall be paid $1 annually for pay periods beginning on April 16 of the prior fiscal year and ending on the earlier of

  • the date on which OMB certifies that the chamber has adopted a balanced budget for such fiscal year, or
  • the last day of the calendar year in which such period begins.

This bill requires legislation in either chamber that increases revenue to be agreed upon only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members of that chamber.

 Related & companion bills 2
  • HR 2977 Reintroduction of Balanced Budget Accountability Act
  • S 44 Related bill Balanced Budget Accountability Act
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 298: Balanced Budget Accountability Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-298/
MLA
"H.R. 298: Balanced Budget Accountability Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-298/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 298, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-298/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 298: Balanced Budget Accountability Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-298/)
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