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Title 2, The CongressRelease 119-102

§4523 Deductions for Delinquent Indebtedness

Title 2 › CHAPTER 45 — CONGRESSIONAL PAY AND BENEFITS › SUBCHAPTER I — GENERAL › Part B — Administration › § 4523

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

If a Representative, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, or United States Senator does not pay money they owe to the House or Senate, the committee or officer that handled the matter must report the unpaid amount to the House Chief Administrative Officer (for House debts) or the Secretary of the Senate (for Senate debts). Those officials must then take the reported amount out of any salary, mileage, or expense payments owed to that person, up to the amount of the debt. The money taken will be handled by those officials under the existing rules.

Full Legal Text

Title 2, §4523

The Congress, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whenever a Representative, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, or a United States Senator, shall fail to pay any sum or sums due from such person to the House of Representatives or Senate, respectively, the appropriate committee or officer of the House of Representatives or Senate, as the case may be, having jurisdiction of the activity under which such debt arose, shall certify such delinquent sum or sums to the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives in the case of an indebtedness to the House of Representatives and to the Secretary of the Senate in the case of an indebtedness to the Senate, and such latter officials are authorized and directed, respectively, to deduct from any salary, mileage, or expense money due to any such delinquent such certified amounts or so much thereof as the balance or balances due such delinquent may cover. Sums so deducted by the Secretary of the Senate shall be disposed of by him in accordance with existing law, and sums so deducted by the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives shall be disposed of by him in accordance with existing law.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was formerly classified to section 40a of this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Amendments

1996—Pub. L. 104–186 substituted “Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives in” for “Sergeant at Arms of the House in” and “Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives shall be” for “Sergeant at Arms of the House shall be paid to the Clerk of the House and”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

2 U.S.C. § 4523

Title 2, The Congress

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102