Should Members of Congress Get Paid $1 Annually After They’ve Served for 12 Consecutive Years? (H.R. 5539)

What is H.R. 5539?

(Updated May 21, 2019)

This bill — the Thomas Jefferson Public Service Act — would reduce the salary of a member of Congress to $1 annually once they’ve served 12 consecutive years in the House or Senate (six and two consecutive terms, respectively). It would also prohibit contributions from being made to the member’s retirement account after that point. This would take effect at the beginning of the 116th Congress in 2019, and wouldn’t apply retroactively to incumbent members.

Argument in favor

Encouraging lawmakers to self-impose term limits after they’ve served for 12 straight years by cutting their pay to $1 would achieve the goal of getting new blood into the legislative branch without going through the lengthy process of amending the Constitution to enact term limits. Lawmakers could keep serving the public if they want to.

Argument opposed

There shouldn’t be de facto term limits on members of Congress imposed through massive pay cuts after 12 consecutive years of service. If voters keep electing them to office members of Congress should get continue to get paid a full salary regardless of how long they’ve served. This would give too much power to those not in office.

Impact

Members of Congress.

Cost of H.R. 5539

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL) introduced this bill to create de facto term limits on members of Congress by cutting their salary to $1 after they’ve served for 12 consecutive years in either chamber:

“Although 15 states have instituted term limits, the situation is more complicated at the federal level. Heretofore, federal term limit discussions have focused on proposals which require amending the Constitution. These well-intentioned efforts, in the form of at least 12 bills in the current session of Congress, with over 90 cosponsors, are stymied by the arduous process of amending the Constitution.

Perhaps a new approach to the issue of term limits would correct this problem. To this end, along with seven of my fellow Congressmen, I have introduced the Thomas Jefferson Public Service Act of 2018. This proposal offers a means of effectively putting capitated service, i.e. “term limits,” in place without amending the Constitution. The Act will reduce the salary of an elected Member of Congress to $1 a year after they serve six (6) consecutive terms in the House or two (2) consecutive terms in the Senate, and does not require a Constitutional amendment.”

This legislation has the support of seven cosponsors, all of whom are Republicans.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL) Press Release
  
• FedSmith
  
• Tampa Bay Times