To provide a per diem allowance for Members of Congress for the costs of lodging, meals, and incidental expenses incurred because of travel to and from the Washington Metropolitan Area in order to cast votes in Congress, and for other purposes.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2519 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2519

 To provide a per diem allowance for Members of Congress for the costs
 of lodging, meals, and incidental expenses incurred because of travel
to and from the Washington Metropolitan Area in order to cast votes in
                   Congress, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 31, 2025

Mr. Rogers of Alabama introduced the following bill; which was referred
                to the Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To provide a per diem allowance for Members of Congress for the costs
 of lodging, meals, and incidental expenses incurred because of travel
to and from the Washington Metropolitan Area in order to cast votes in
                   Congress, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. PER DIEM ALLOWANCES FOR MEMBERS INCURRING COSTS IN TRAVEL TO
              AND FROM WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN AREA IN ORDER TO CAST
              VOTES IN CONGRESS.

    (a) Entitlement to Per Diem Allowances.--A Member of Congress who
travels on official and representational business to and from the
Member's designated residence to the Washington Metropolitan Area in
order to cast votes in Congress is entitled to--
            (1) a per diem allowance for lodging in the Washington
        Metropolitan Area in accordance with subsection (b)(1); and
            (2) a per diem allowance for meals and incidental expenses
        in the Washington Metropolitan Area in accordance with
        subsection (b)(2).
    (b) Exceptions.--
            (1) Members residing in washington metropolitan area.--A
        Member of Congress is not entitled to a per diem allowance
        under this section if the Member's designated residence is
        within the Washington Metropolitan Area.
            (2) Expenses paid under other allowances.--A Member of
        Congress is not entitled to a per diem allowance under this
        section with respect to lodging, meals, and incidental expenses
        for which payment is made--
                    (A) in the case of a Member of the House of
                Representatives, under the Members' Representational
                Allowance; and
                    (B) in the case of a Senator, under the Senators'
                Official Personnel and Office Expense Account.
    (c) Per Diem Allowances Described.--
            (1) Lodging.--A Member of Congress may receive a per diem
        allowance for lodging with respect to a day if--
                    (A) the House of Congress in which the Member
                serves holds votes on that day; and
                    (B) the Member records a vote in person in the
                chamber of that House of Congress on each vote held on
                that day.
            (2) Meals and incidental expenses.--A Member of Congress
        may receive a per diem allowance for meals and incidental
        expenses with respect to the following days:
                    (A) A day for which the Member receives a per diem
                allowance for lodging under paragraph (1).
                    (B) The day before a day described in subparagraph
                (A), but only if the Member travels to the Washington
                Metropolitan Area on the day described in subparagraph
                (A).
                    (C) The day after a day described in subparagraph
                (A), but only if the Member travels from the Washington
                Metropolitan Area on the day described in subparagraph
                (A).
            (3) Use of gsa rates.--The amount of the per diem allowance
        to which a Member of Congress is entitled under this section
        shall be the amount to which the Member would be entitled under
        regulations prescribed by the Administrator of General Services
        if the Member were an employee entitled to a per diem allowance
        under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States
        Code.
    (d) Regulations.--
            (1) In general.--This section shall be carried out in
        accordance with regulations promulgated by--
                    (A) the Committee on House Administration of the
                House of Representatives, with respect to the per diem
                allowances for Members of the House of Representatives
                and the Delegates and Resident Commissioner to the
                Congress; and
                    (B) the Committee on Rules and Administration of
                the Senate, with respect to the per diem allowances for
                Senators.
            (2) Ensuring allowances are not treated as earned income
        for tax purposes.--In promulgating regulations to carry out
        this section, the Committee on House Administration and the
        Committee on Rules and Administration shall follow to the
        greatest extent practicable the regulations each such Committee
        promulgates with respect to payments for lodging, meals, and
        incidental expenses incurred by Members of Congress under the
        Members' Representational Allowance or the Senators' Official
        Personnel and Office Expense Account, respectively, including
        the provisions of such regulations which ensure that the
        payment of such an allowance is not treated as income earned by
        the Member for purposes of paying Federal, State, or local
        taxes.
            (3) Effect on existing regulations.--The regulations
        promulgated under paragraph (1) shall supersede any regulations
        of the Committee on House Administration or the Committee on
        Rules and Administration governing the reimbursement of travel
        expenses incurred by a Member of Congress which are in effect
        at the time the regulations are promulgated.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The ``designated residence'' of a Member of Congress
        is--
                    (A) in the case of a Member of the House of
                Representatives, a residence in the congressional
                district the Member represents (or, in the case of a
                Member who does not reside in the congressional
                district the Member represents, a residence in the
                State in which the congressional district is located),
                as designated by the Member in a statement the Member
                provides to the Committee on House Administration; and
                    (B) in the case of a Senator, a residence in the
                State the Senator represents, as designated by the
                Senator in a statement the Senate provides to the
                Committee on Rules and Administration.
            (2) The term ``Member of the House of Representatives''
        includes a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress.
            (2) The term ``Washington Metropolitan Area'' means the
        District of Columbia; the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church
        and Fairfax, and the counties of Arlington and Fairfax, in
        Virginia; and the counties of Montgomery and Prince George's in
        Maryland.
    (f) Treatment of Delegates.--In this section, the term ``Member of
the House of Representatives'' includes a Delegate or Resident
Commissioner to the Congress.
    (g) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to the
One Hundred Nineteenth Congress and each succeeding Congress.
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