§ 359. Effective date of recommendations of President
(1)
None of the President’s recommendations under section
358 of this title shall take effect unless approved under paragraph (2).
(2)
(A)
The recommendations of the President under section
358 of this title shall be considered approved under this paragraph if there is enacted into law a bill or joint resolution approving such recommendations in their entirety. This bill or joint resolution shall be passed by recorded vote to reflect the vote of each Member of Congress thereon.
(B)
(i)
The provisions of this subparagraph are enacted by the Congress—
(I)
as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate and the House of Representatives and as such shall be considered as part of the rules of each House, and shall supersede other rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent therewith; and
(II)
with full recognition of the constitutional right of either House to change the rules (so far as they relate to the procedures of that House) at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that House.
(ii)
During the 60-calendar-day period beginning on the date that the President transmits his recommendations to the Congress under section
358 of this title, it shall be in order as a matter of highest privilege in each House of Congress to consider a bill or joint resolution, if offered by the majority leader of such House (or a designee), approving such recommendations in their entirety.
(3)
Except as provided in paragraph (4), any recommended pay adjustment approved under paragraph (2) shall take effect as of the date proposed by the President under section
358 of this title with respect to such adjustment.
(4)
(A)
Notwithstanding the approval of the President’s pay recommendations in accordance with paragraph (2), none of those recommendations shall take effect unless, between the date on which the bill or resolution approving those recommendations is signed by the President (or otherwise becomes law) and the earliest date as of which the President proposes (under section
358 of this title) that any of those recommendations take effect, an election of Representatives shall have intervened.
(B)
For purposes of this paragraph, the term “election of Representatives” means an election held on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November in any even-numbered calendar year.