Gwen Break
Beach Fanatic
By Emily Long
elong@govexec.com
October 12, 2011
[FONT="]As federal employees inch closer to a second year of frozen pay, one lawmaker is looking to cut his and his colleagues' salaries relative to increases in government spending.Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., last week introduced legislation that would tie congressional salaries to changes in the federal budget. Under the bill, lawmakers would see a decrease in pay equal to the percentage of budget growth over the previous fiscal year. If spending increased by 5 percent, salaries would decline by 5 percent the following year. [/FONT]
[FONT="]"As public servants, we have a lot of work to do to bring down our national debt and reduce deficit spending," Forbes said in a statement. "It will not be easy. It will take hard work. It will not happen overnight."[/FONT]
[FONT="]Rank-and-file members of Congress earn $174,000 annually, while party leaders make more. Lawmakers determine their own pay and receive automatic annual raises, which take effect on Jan. 1 of each year, unless they vote to decline the increase as they did in both 2010 and 2011. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Forbes' bill is not the first proposal to cut congressional salaries. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., in January introduced legislation that would cut lawmaker pay by 10 percent -- in addition to mandating two-week furloughs for all federal employees. Reps. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., and Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., sponsored similar legislation. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., in January introduced a bill that would reduce lawmaker pay by 5 percent. These bills are caught up in committee, however. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Other lawmakers are proposing to end benefits paid out to families of colleagues who die in office. Reps. Bill Posey, R-Fla., and Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., last week sponsored a bill that would end the congressional death gratuity, equal to a year's salary, awarded to members' survivors. Lawmakers should buy life insurance like everyone else, they said. [/FONT]
"Life insurance is accessible," said Posey spokesman George Cecala. "There's no reason why we shouldn't ask members to purchase life insurance instead of having to pay their families death gratuities . . . They're wealthy. Why are they paying their families more when they have all these money already?"
[FONT="]Source: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=49043&dcn=e_gvet
[/FONT]
elong@govexec.com
October 12, 2011
[FONT="]As federal employees inch closer to a second year of frozen pay, one lawmaker is looking to cut his and his colleagues' salaries relative to increases in government spending.Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., last week introduced legislation that would tie congressional salaries to changes in the federal budget. Under the bill, lawmakers would see a decrease in pay equal to the percentage of budget growth over the previous fiscal year. If spending increased by 5 percent, salaries would decline by 5 percent the following year. [/FONT]
[FONT="]"As public servants, we have a lot of work to do to bring down our national debt and reduce deficit spending," Forbes said in a statement. "It will not be easy. It will take hard work. It will not happen overnight."[/FONT]
[FONT="]Rank-and-file members of Congress earn $174,000 annually, while party leaders make more. Lawmakers determine their own pay and receive automatic annual raises, which take effect on Jan. 1 of each year, unless they vote to decline the increase as they did in both 2010 and 2011. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Forbes' bill is not the first proposal to cut congressional salaries. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., in January introduced legislation that would cut lawmaker pay by 10 percent -- in addition to mandating two-week furloughs for all federal employees. Reps. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., and Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., sponsored similar legislation. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., in January introduced a bill that would reduce lawmaker pay by 5 percent. These bills are caught up in committee, however. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Other lawmakers are proposing to end benefits paid out to families of colleagues who die in office. Reps. Bill Posey, R-Fla., and Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., last week sponsored a bill that would end the congressional death gratuity, equal to a year's salary, awarded to members' survivors. Lawmakers should buy life insurance like everyone else, they said. [/FONT]
"Life insurance is accessible," said Posey spokesman George Cecala. "There's no reason why we shouldn't ask members to purchase life insurance instead of having to pay their families death gratuities . . . They're wealthy. Why are they paying their families more when they have all these money already?"
[FONT="]Source: http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=49043&dcn=e_gvet
[/FONT]
