Now here is something unusual, a bill being introduced in Congress that makes sense. A Republican congressman is introducing a bill that calls for docking the pay of members of Congress who miss votes. Louisiana Rep. Charles W. Boustany, Jr. is calling his bill the “No Show, No Pay Act.”
Boustany said in a statement that the bill is in response to members who “habitually miss important votes on key policy initiatives and legislation by leaving early or arriving late in order to attend fundraising and campaign events. The primary duty of a Member of Congress is to advocate on behalf of its constituency by casting important votes,” he said. “Some of my colleagues take their office for granted and refuse to accept this responsibility.”
Under this bill a member missing a single vote would not receive pay for that entire day. Most members of Congress receive a $174,000 annual salary. Congress currently averages 164 working days per session. That means members could see their pay docked $1,061 every day they miss a vote.
Of course, introducing legislation and passing it are two very different things -and I can not believe that our esteemed representatives will vote to penalize themselves for going fund-raising instead of voting on important issues. We'll have to wait and see...
Boustany said in a statement that the bill is in response to members who “habitually miss important votes on key policy initiatives and legislation by leaving early or arriving late in order to attend fundraising and campaign events. The primary duty of a Member of Congress is to advocate on behalf of its constituency by casting important votes,” he said. “Some of my colleagues take their office for granted and refuse to accept this responsibility.”
Under this bill a member missing a single vote would not receive pay for that entire day. Most members of Congress receive a $174,000 annual salary. Congress currently averages 164 working days per session. That means members could see their pay docked $1,061 every day they miss a vote.
Of course, introducing legislation and passing it are two very different things -and I can not believe that our esteemed representatives will vote to penalize themselves for going fund-raising instead of voting on important issues. We'll have to wait and see...
Live Long and Prosper...
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