A bill to repeal the provision of law that provides automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress.
This bill, S. 86 introduced in the Senate by Senator Scott of Florida, would end the automatic pay adjustments that apply to Members of Congress. It repeals the automatic annual salary increases provided in the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 and makes related conforming changes to the statute’s wording. Under the bill, congressional pay could only change through explicit, future acts of Congress rather than by automatic indexing. The changes would take effect when the 120th Congress convenes (the start of the next Congress, per the bill’s date reference). In short: no more automatic cost-of-living-type raises for Senators and Representatives; any future pay increases would require new legislation enacted by Congress and signed into law.
Key Points
- 1Repeal of automatic pay adjustments: The bill repeals paragraph (2) of section 601(a) of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946, removing the mechanism by which congressional salaries automatically increased.
- 2Technical/conforming amendments: It restructures the statutory language to reflect the removal, adjusting cross-references (e.g., removing references to automatic adjustments and replacing them with “adjusted as provided by law”).
- 3Effective date: The changes take effect on the date the 120th Congress convenes (i.e., at the start of that Congress).
- 4Legislative process unchanged for future increases: Any future salary increases for Members of Congress would require new statutory action by Congress (no automatic increases).
- 5Status and sponsor: Introduced in the Senate by Senator Scott of Florida and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.