1、Congressional Research Service The Library of CongressCRS Report for CongressReceived through the CRS WebOrder Code 97-1011 GOVUpdated April 18, 2006Salaries of Members of Congress: A List ofPayable Rates and Effective Dates, 1789-2006Paul E. DwyerSpecialist in American National GovernmentGovernment
2、 and Finance DivisionSummaryCongress is required by Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution to determine itsown pay. Prior to 1969, Congress did so by enacting stand-alone legislation. From1789 through 1968, Congress raised its pay 22 times using this procedure.Congressional salaries initially wer
3、e $1,500. By 1968, they had risen to $30,000.Stand-alone legislation may still be used to raise Member pay, as it was most recentlyin 1982, 1983, 1989, and 1991, but two other methods are now also available, anautomatic annual adjustment procedure and a commission process. In January 2006, Members r
4、eceived a 1.9% increase under the annual adjustmentprocedure, increasing their salary to $165,200. They are scheduled to receive a 2.0%increase under the procedure in January 2007, to $168,500. BackgroundThere are three basic ways to adjust Member pay. Stand-alone legislation hasfrequently and prima