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HR 857 116th Congress House

Inaction Has Consequences Act

Official title: To hold the salaries of Members of a House of Congress in escrow if the House of Congress does not pass regular appropriation bills on a timely basis during a Congress, and for other purposes.

Introduced: January 29, 2019 Introduced by: Wittman, Robert J. Republican · Virginia See on congress.gov
Congress AppropriationsBudget processExecutive agency funding and structureGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel management
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Legislative rules and procedureMembers of Congress
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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 29, 2019
Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
Jan 29, 2019
Introduced in House
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 Latest action January 29, 2019

Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Inaction Has Consequences Act

This bill requires the salaries of Members of Congress to be held in escrow if their chamber has not passed each of the annual appropriations bills before the beginning of the fiscal year, beginning with FY2020. Salaries are released once the bills are passed or at the end of the Congress.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 857: Inaction Has Consequences Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-857/
MLA
"H.R. 857: Inaction Has Consequences Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-857/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 857, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-857/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 857: Inaction Has Consequences Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-857/)
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