Title 2 — The CongressRelease 119-73
§4503 Jury and witness service by Senate and House employees
Title 2 › Chapter CHAPTER 45— - CONGRESSIONAL PAY AND BENEFITS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - GENERAL › Part Part A— - Amount and Type › § 4503
Summary
If someone is paid by the Secretary of the Senate or the House Chief Administrative Officer and they are called and allowed by their House to serve as a juror or to testify for the government in a court, their pay must not be cut while they are away. Time spent testifying or giving official records for the United States or the District of Columbia, or testifying in an official role for another party, counts as official work time. Employees may not keep jury or witness fees when they are serving as a juror or testifying for the United States or the District of Columbia; any money (other than travel pay) must be turned in to the officer who pays their salary and sent to the Treasury. Travel costs are paid either by the House, the federal department or agency involved, or by the court or party that asked for the testimony, depending on the situation. Each House’s oversight committee can make rules to carry this out. The House’s permission to pay or send an employee does not mean the House agrees to release its official records or to let the employee testify about House work. Definitions: "employee" = person paid by the Secretary of the Senate or House CAO; "court of the United States" = federal courts, including District Courts for the Canal Zone, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
Full Legal Text
Title 2, §4503
The Congress — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)For purposes of this section—
(1)“employee” means any individual whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate or the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives; and
(2)“court of the United States” has the meaning given it by section 451 of title 28 and includes the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone, the District Court of Guam, and the District Court of the Virgin Islands.
(b)The pay of an employee shall not be reduced during a period of absence with respect to which the employee is summoned (and permitted to respond to such summons by the appropriate authority of the House of the Congress disbursing his pay), in connection with a judicial proceeding by a court or authority responsible for the conduct of that proceeding, to serve—
(1)as a juror; or
(2)other than as provided in subsection (c) of this section, as a witness on behalf of any party in connection with any judicial proceeding to which the United States, the District of Columbia, or a State or local government is a party;
(c)An employee is performing official duty during the period with respect to which he is summoned (and is authorized to respond to such summons by the House of the Congress disbursing his pay), or is assigned by such House, to—
(1)testify or produce official records on behalf of the United States or the District of Columbia; or
(2)testify in his official capacity or produce official records on behalf of a party other than the United States or the District of Columbia.
(d)(1)An employee may not receive fees for service—
(A)as juror in a court of the United States or the District of Columbia; or
(B)as a witness on behalf of the United States or the District of Columbia.
(2)If an employee receives an amount (other than travel expenses) for service as a juror or witness during a period in which his pay may not be reduced under subsection (b) of this section, or for which he is performing official duty under subsection (c) of this section, the employee shall remit such amount to the officer who disburses the pay of the employee, which amount shall be covered into the general fund of the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts.
(e)(1)An employee summoned (and authorized to respond to such summons by the House of the Congress disbursing his pay), or assigned by such House, to testify or produce official records on behalf of the United States is entitled to travel expenses. If the case involves an activity in connection with which he is employed, the travel expenses shall be paid from funds otherwise available for the payment of travel expenses of such House in accordance with travel regulations of that House. If the case does not involve such an activity, the department, agency, or independent establishment of the United States on whose behalf he is so testifying or producing records shall pay to the employee his travel expenses out of appropriations otherwise available, and in accordance with regulation applicable, to that department, agency, or independent establishment for the payment of travel expenses.
(2)An employee summoned (and permitted to respond to such summons by the House of the Congress disbursing his pay), or assigned by such House, to testify in his official capacity or produce official records on behalf of a party other than the United States, is entitled to travel expenses, unless any travel expenses are paid to the employee for his appearance by the court, authority, or party which caused him to be summoned.
(f)The Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate and the Committee on House Oversight of the House of Representatives are authorized to prescribe, for employees of their respective Houses, such rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
(g)No provision of this section shall be construed to confer the consent of either House of the Congress to the production of official records of that House or to testimony by an employee of that House concerning activities related to his employment.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
For definition of Canal Zone, referred to in subsec. (b), see section 3602(b) of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse. Codification Section was formerly classified to section 130b of this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.
Amendments
1996—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 104–186, § 204(74), substituted “Chief Administrative Officer” for “Clerk”. Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 104–186, § 204(75), substituted “House Oversight” for “House Administration”. 1976—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 94–310 substituted “other than as provided in subsection (c) of this section, as a witness on behalf of any party in connection with any judicial proceeding to which the United States, the District of Columbia, or a State or local government is a party” for “as a witness on behalf of a party other than the United States, the District of Columbia, or a private party”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Change of Name
Committee on House Oversight of House of Representatives changed to Committee on House Administration of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Sixth Congress, Jan. 6, 1999.
Effective Date
of 1976 Amendment Pub. L. 94–310, § 4, June 15, 1976, 90 Stat. 687, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this Act [amending this section and section 6322 and 8906 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees] shall take effect on
October 1, 1976, or on the date of the enactment of this Act [
June 15, 1976], whichever date is later.” Termination of United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone For termination of the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone at end of the “transition period”, being the 30 month period beginning Oct. 1, 1979, and ending midnight Mar. 31, 1982, see Paragraph 5 of Article XI of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and section 2101 and 2201 to 2203(a) of Pub. L. 96–70, title II, Sept. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 493, formerly classified to section 3831 and 3841 to 3843, respectively, of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.
Executive Documents
Termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands For termination of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, see note set out preceding section 1681 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
2 U.S.C. § 4503
Title 2 — The Congress
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73