Our elected representatives, those people that we entrust to do what we want them to do concerning the running of the government, those people that work hard for us; have a current salary (2009) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate of $174,000 per year.
• During the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin considered proposing that elected government officials not be paid for their service. Other Founding Fathers, however, decided otherwise.
• From 1789 to 1855, members of Congress received only a per diem (daily payment) of $6.00 while in session, except for a period from December 1815 to March 1817, when they received $1,500 a year. Members began receiving an annual salary in 1855, when they were paid $3,000 per year.
Congress: Leadership Members' Salary (2009)
Leaders of the House and Senate are paid a higher salary than rank-and-file members.
Senate Leadership
Majority Party Leader - $193,400
Minority Party Leader - $193,400
House Leadership
Speaker of the House - $223,500
Majority Leader - $193,400
Minority Leader - $193,400
A cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) increase takes effect annually unless Congress votes to not accept it.
For all this money, you have to figure that they are working hard right? Well……..
In 2006, Congress was in session only 103 days, slightly more than two days a week on average. While most Americans returned from their holiday vacation in the first week of January, the House took nearly the entire month off, commencing the session on January 31st. In February, the House met for only 47 hours, an average work week for many Americans. Despite Speaker Pelosi's loud promise of a five-day workweek, the House schedule is laughable. The first clue that members wouldn't be working harder was when House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announced that the House would take a day off during the first week in session. Why? Was there a national emergency? Maybe a catastrophic storm? Not at all. It was because of the championship college football game between Oklahoma State and Florida State. Obviously oblivious to the criticisms of Congressional laziness, Hoyer explained that the work of the Congress would be suspended so that everyone could watch a football game.
How many American workers are given a day off to watch a football game?
A close look at the schedule of the House is shocking. Congress will be out of Washington for more than 16 weeks. And when they are technically in session, they don't do much. Take the month of February, for example: the House was only in session for nine days — and on three of those days, the sessions lasted less than 20 minutes, while a fourth lasted for 39 minutes. Their designated “President's Day District Work Period” is a ridiculously transparent euphemism for a vacation week — sometimes involving free travel. Right after the so-called travel "reforms" were passed, 66 members of the House traveled during February at the expense of private organizations (legal under the new rules), many of them to exotic vacation spots. Of course, they typically take the month of August off also.
If you notice 1995, taskmaster Newt Gingrich kept the house in session for a whopping 183 days. Finally I want to leave you with this thought. There will be no cost of living adjustment for seniors in 2010 and congress, finally getting it will not get their automatic pay raise for 2010. Well, almost. They are set to still get their pay raise in 2011, unless they vote against it.
Update: I realized that I left out a couple of important statistics.
Median Salary by State or Province - Country: United States (United States)
CAREER TOOLS: Salary Calculator, Career Path Tool, Cost of Living Calculator, Meeting Miser
The above numbers are based on working a full year ((52 weeks * 5 days/week)- vacation, holidays, and sick time). It doesn't take into account the time we get off while getting paid to look for a better job. You know, like our recent candidates for President did where they got paid while campaigning for a better job.
Congress, nice work if you can get it.
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