[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 68 (Thursday, May 26, 1994)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov] [Congressional Record: May 26, 1994] From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] THE PAY FOR PERFORMANCE ACT ______ HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS of florida in the house of representatives Thursday, May 26, 1994 Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, as we start our annual appropriations cycle, one thing is very clear--it is business as usual on Capitol Hill. Once again, one of the first appropriation bills to be brought on the House floor is Congress' own spending legislation, H.R. 4454. Why should this matter to anyone? Everyone knows that Congress is required to pass 13 appropriations bills before the start of the new fiscal year. Yet, we rarely meet this long-established deadline. In fact, in the last 20 years, we have only succeeded in meeting that deadline twice--1977 and 1989. Therefore, it would not surprise me if later this year, we are on this floor debating another continuing resolution to keep the Government operating while we finish working on the appropriations bills. However, if 1994 is like any other year, the conference report for H.R. 4454 will become law sometime this summer. This means that come October when the rest of the Government is teetering on the edge of insolvency, Congress will be fully funded. For a number of years, I have been arguing that the funding requirements of Congress should only be considered after the needs of all other Americans are met to the best of our ability. In the 103d Congress, I have once again introduced legislation, H.R. 1922, which would force Members of Congress to earn their own paychecks. Like every other wage earner and salaried employee, I propose that Congress only be paid when it has completed its most basic work--to approve the general budget for the Federal Government, to discharge fully its responsibility over the Nation's pursestrings. To accomplish this end, I would withhold our own paychecks and the money to run our offices and staff until action is completed--on time-- on all other general appropriations bills for the next fiscal year. Thus, instead of securing its own funding well in advance, Congress would be dead last in line of Federal spending. My bill would effectively outlaw continuing resolutions, the huge spending bills that have been subject to widespread abuse. I also believe the proposal would help to prevent the possibility of Government grinding to a halt, Social Security checks being threatened, and other programs held in limbo until appropriations bills are finally approved in the dead of night. H.R. 1922 will not cure all institutional flaws or tackle broader ethical concerns, but I believe it would be a step in the right direction. I believe it would represent a change in thinking and attitude. I think the American public would prefer to see Congress step to the back of the line for a change. ____________________