Members of Congress receive retirement and health benefits under the same plans available to other federal employees. They become vested after five years of full participation. As it is for all other federal employees, congressional retirement is funded through taxes and the participants' contributions.
Members of Congress become eligible to receive a pension at the age of 62 if they have completed a total of 5 years of service. Members who have completed a total of 20 years of service are eligible for a pension at age 50, are at any age after completing a total of 25 years of service. Those mass emails also claim that members of Congress can get a pension equal to their full salaries after serving only one term.
That one is partly true but mostly false. Under the current law, which requires at least 5 years of service, members of the House of Representatives would not be eligible to collect pensions of any amount after serving only one term, since they come up for reelection every two years. On the other hand, U. S, Senators—who serve six-year terms—would be eligible to collect pensions after completing only one full term.
According to the Congressional Research Service, there were retired members of Congress receiving federal pensions based fully or in part on their congressional service as of October 1, Members of Congress are also provided with an annual allowance intended to defray expenses related carrying out their congressional duties, including "official office expenses, including staff, mail, travel between a Member's district or state and Washington, DC, and other goods and services.
Many members of Congress retain their private careers and other business interests while they serve.
House and Senate rules define what sources of "outside earned income" are permissible. For example, House Rule XXV th Congress limits permissible outside income to "salaries, fees, and other amounts received or to be received as compensation for personal services actually rendered.
Members are also barred from accepting honoraria - payments for professional services typically provided without charge. Perhaps most importantly to voters and taxpayers, member of Congress are strictly prohibited from earning or accepting income that may appear to be intended to influence the way they vote on legislation. How and what amount members of Congress should be paid has always been a debated issue. Under the Articles of Confederation , if U.
By the time the first U. However, faced with public outrage, Congress repealed the law in Brudnik, Ida A. House of Representatives Press Gallery. Office of Personnel Management. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Today, Federal law theoretically allows an annual cost-of-living adjustment, but Congress usually votes to decline the raise.
In fact, the last time Congress accepted the raise was for , almost a decade ago. According to the Congressional Research Service, between and , Congress accepted the adjustment 13 times, but rejected it 15 times. So, to return to the original question: Who decides how much to pay Members of Congress?
The Members decide a level for compensation, the President signs off on the salary laws they pass, and the public may express its approval or disapproval in any way that is lawful—especially at the ballot box. As with almost everything else, Members can do only as much as the public allows.
The Sausage Factory blog is a Congressional Institute project dedicated to explaining parliamentary procedure, Congressional politics, and other issues pertaining to the Legislative Branch. Madison, James. Adrienne Koch, ed. Athens: Ohio University Press, Ketcham, Ralph. New York: Signet Classics, Mark Strand, Tim Lang. Feb 26, Share. Print Download PDF. On November 10, , the chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Richard Shelby, released drafts of all 12 annual appropriations bills along with draft accompanying explanatory statements.
Data are from the draft explanatory statement, pp. The Senate reports on the legislative branch bill generally provide preliminary information on the allocation for Senators from each state. The Senate draft notes that data are preliminary and do not include any supplementals, transfers, or rescissions. The three components result in a single SOPOEA authorization for each Senator that can be used to pay for any type of official expense.
For example, each Senator can choose how much to allocate to travel versus personnel or supplies, although additional limits pertain to spending on franked mail. This funding also includes an allowance for interns first included in FY Senators are responsible for the payment of any expenses that exceed the allowance. In the event suitable office space is not available in a federal building, other office space may be secured. The cost of private space is not to exceed the highest rate per square foot charged by the General Services 34 Ibid.
Each Senator may lease one mobile office for use only in the state he or she represents, subject to limitations on the terms of the lease, the maximum annual rental payment, and reimbursable operating costs. No payment may be made for expenses incurred during the 60 days preceding a contested election. Furniture and furnishings are supplied and maintained by the Architect of the Capitol for spaces in Senate office buildings and the Senate Sergeant at Arms for offices in the Capitol.
Additional furnishings can be purchased through the Senate stationery store. Furniture and furnishings remain GSA property. Office Equipment in Washington, DC, and State Offices Each Senator may use certain basic office equipment allocated in accordance with the population of the state he or she represents and other criteria established by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. Compensation of Members and Maximum Rates of Compensation for Staff The salary of Members of Congress has been frozen since , and the maximum annual salary for many categories of congressional staff remained unchanged from until the enactment of the FY Further Consolidated Appropriations Act P.
Table 1 and Table 2 list the compensation for Members of Congress and the maximum rate for staff in Table 1. For prior pay orders, see 2 U. Estimates may also be obtained by examining the quarterly Statement of Disbursements of the House. For the Senate: U. Congress, Senate, Order of the President pro tempore , effective January 1, , issued January 5, contained in 2 U. For questions regarding the implications for specific positions, including effective dates, please contact the individual House and Senate employing authorities or the House Chief Administrative Officer or the Secretary of the Senate.
See also 2 U. Estimates may also be obtained by examining the semi-annual Report of the Secretary of the Senate. The U. Constitution provides that the Vice President shall serve as President of the Senate, and that when the Vice President is absent from the Senate, the President pro tempore presides in his place.
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