Salaries and Benefits of US Congress Members

Salaries and Benefits of US Congress Members The salary and benefits paid to the Senators and Representatives of the U.S. Congress is a constant source of public fascination, debate- and most of all- fake news.   For example, one massively-sent email states, â€Å"Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term.† Well, maybe many citizens do not have that idea, because it is just flat wrong. Another infamous email demanding passage of a mythical â€Å"Congressional Reform Act† claims members of Congress do not pay Social Security taxes. That, too, is wrong Salaries and benefits of members of the U.S. Congress have been the source of taxpayer unhappiness and myths over the years. Here are some facts for your consideration. As of 2019, the base salary for all rank-and-file members of the U.S. House and Senate was $174,000 per year, plus benefits. Salaries have not been increased since 2009. Compared to private-sector salaries, the salaries of members of Congress is lower than many mid-level executives and managers. Rank-and-File Members: The current salary (2019) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $174,000 per year. Members are free to turn down pay increase and some choose to do so.In a complex system of calculations, administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, congressional pay rates also affect the salaries of federal judges and other senior government executives. Congress: Leadership Members Salary  (2019) Leaders of the House and Senate are paid a higher salary than rank-and-file members. Senate Leadership Majority Party Leader - $193,400Minority Party Leader - $193,400 House Leadership Speaker of the House - $223,500Majority Leader - $193,400Minority Leader - $193,400 Pay Increases   Members of Congress are eligible to receive the same annual cost-of-living increase given to other federal employees if any. The raise takes effect automatically on January 1 of each year unless Congress, through the passage of a joint resolution, votes to decline it, as Congress has done since 2009. Benefits Paid to Members of Congress You may have read that Members of Congress do not pay into Social Security. Well, thats also a myth. Social Security Prior to 1984, neither Members of Congress nor any other federal civil service employee paid Social Security taxes. Of course, they were also not eligible to receive Social Security benefits. Members of Congress and other federal employees were instead covered by a separate pension plan called the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The 1983 amendments to the Social Security Act required federal employees first hired after 1983 to participate in Social Security. These amendments also required all Members of Congress to participate in Social Security as of January 1, 1984, regardless of when they first entered Congress. Because the CSRS was not designed to coordinate with Social Security, Congress directed the development of a new retirement plan for federal workers. The result was the Federal Employees Retirement System Act of 1986. 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. Health Insurance Since all provisions of the Affordable Care Act or â€Å"Obamacare† took effect in 2014, members of Congress have been required to purchase health insurance plans offered through one of the Affordable Care Act-approved exchanges in order to receive a government contribution toward their health coverage. Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, insurance for members of Congress was provided through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB); the government’s employer-subsidized private insurance system. However, not even under the FEHB plan was the insurance â€Å"free.† On average, the government pays from 72% to 75% of the premiums for its workers. Like all other federal retirees, former members of Congress paid the same share of premiums as other federal employees. Retirement   Members elected since 1984 are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Those elected prior to 1984 were covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). In 1984 all members were given the option of remaining with CSRS or switching to FERS. As it is for all other federal employees, congressional retirement is funded through taxes and the participants contributions. Members of Congress under FERS contribute 1.3 percent of their salary into the FERS retirement plan and pay 6.2 percent of their salary in Social Security taxes. 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. No matter their age when they retire, the amount of the members’ pension is based on their total years of service and the average of their highest three years of salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member’s retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary. Can They Really Retire After Only One Term? 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. In neither case, however, would the pensions be equal to the member’s full salary. While it is highly unlikely and has never happened, it is possible for a longtime member of Congress whose pension began at or near 80% of his or her final salary could - after many years of accepted annual cost-of-living adjustments - see his or her pension rise to equal his or her final salary. Average Annual Pensions According to the Congressional Research Service, there were 611 retired members of Congress receiving federal pensions based fully or in part on their congressional service as of October 1, 2016. Of this number, 335 had retired under CSRS and were receiving an average annual pension of $74,028. A total of 276 Members had retired with service under FERS and were receiving an average annual pension of $41,076 in 2016. Allowances 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 Members district or state and Washington, DC, and other goods and services. Outside Income Many members of Congress retain their private careers and other business interests while they serve. Members are allowed to retain an amount of permissible outside earned income limited to no more than 15% of the annual rate of basic pay for level II of the Executive Schedule for federal employees, or $28,400.00 a year in 2018. However, there is currently no limit on the amount of non-salary income members can retain from their investments, corporate dividends or profits. House and Senate rules define what sources of outside earned income are permissible. For example, House Rule XXV (112th 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 not allowed to retain compensation arising from fiduciary relationships, except for medical practices. 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. Tax Deductions Members are allowed to deduct up to $3,000 a year from their federal income tax for living expenses while they are away from their home states or congressional districts. Early History of Congress Pay How and how much members of Congress should be paid has always been a debated issue. America’s Founding Fathers believed that since congressmen would typically be well-off anyway, they should serve for free, out of a sense of duty. Under the Articles of Confederation, if U.S. congressmen were paid at all, they were paid by the states they represented. The state legislatures adjusted their congressmen’s pay and could even suspend it completely if they became dissatisfied with them. By the time the first U.S. Congress under the Constitution convened in 1789, members of both the House and Senate were paid $6 for each day there were actually in session, which was then rarely more than five months a year. The $6 per-day rate remained the same until the Compensation Act of 1816 raised it to a flat $1,500 a year. However, faced with public outrage, Congress repealed the law in 1817. Not until 1855 did members of Congress return to being paid an annual salary, then $3,000 per year with no benefits. Sources and Further Reference Brudnick, Ida A. â€Å"Congressional Salaries and Allowances: In Brief.† Congressional Research Service (April 11, 2018).Feran, Tom. â€Å"Can members of Congress retire with full pay after just one term?† Politifact Ohio (January 11, 2013)

From emigration to immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

From emigration to immigration - Essay Example The population of Ireland is 5.5 million at present, but had been over 8 million in 1841. It had augmented hastily from 4 or 5 million at the Act of Union with Britain in 1801. As the population was to be destroyed by the Famine of 1845 to1848, together by death and mass emigration, there had been elevated emigration well before the Famine. More than 1.5 million had emigrated between 1815 and 1840. One third of these left to Britain and of those who went west, half came towards Canada, and the other half to the United States in that period. This stage of emigration which was to rise swiftly in the stage instantly after the Famine was an extraordinary high proportion of the total population, unparalleled in other European states. The Famine directed to the death and emigration of over one million people. The population fell to 6.5 million by 1851 and by an additional million to 5.5 million by 1871. There was de-industrialization, as stated by the author (Crotty, R., 1986), in the 19th century in the majority of Ireland, with the exemption of the North East. Five million people emigrated between 1851 and 1921 and most of these were sole adults. The tough farmers left the farm to the eldest son and many siblings went abroad and so the honesty of their farms was preserved. People had far less children and those who had property were to become tough in their attitude to heritage. Emigration and transforms in productiveness permitted for augmented profits for those who stayed behind. The following table gives the net outflow each decade from 1850 up to the ending of the 20th century and in addition for the three years to 2003 inclusive. It shows a huge outflow of people from Ireland mainly given the small size of the population. (Crotty, R., 1986). The reasons for the continued growth of the Irish economy are difficult, yet

Consequences of High Incarceration Rate Term Paper - 1

Consequences of High Incarceration Rate - Term Paper Example Research addressing the impact of parental incarceration on children has identified developmental, emotional, psychological, social, educational, and behavioral consequences for these children (Trice & Brewster, 2004). There is some consensus in the literature identifying some of the serious, detrimental consequences for children of all ages who experience parental incarceration. These issues must be identified and addressed as children of incarcerated parents are viewed as a unique, group with special service needs. The Bureau of Justice Statistics in an August 2000 special report identified a total of 1,284,894 prisoners of which, 721,500 were parents. Within this group of incarcerated parents, 46% resided with at least one minor child at the time of incarceration (Mumola, 2001). Of this group of parents incarcerated, 32% reported having more than one child less than 18 years of age (Mumola, 2001) and 37% reported living with their children in the month previous to their arrest (Mu mola, 2001). In the same year, 2.1 percent of the 72 million minors in the United States in 1999 had a parent in prison, which represents almost 1.5 million children (Harrison & Beck, 2006). Fathers were less likely to report living with their children prior to incarceration than mother, (47% federal inmates versus 73%). Of fathers imprisoned in 1999, reported the childs mother was their primary caregiver 90% of the time where as only 28% of incarcerated mothers cited their childs father as the primary caretaker (Mumola, 2001).

Civilians and law enforcement should be aware of the basic human rights Essay Example for Free

Civilians and law enforcement should be aware of the basic human rights Essay In todays society, we live amongst social media and video recordings trying to expose police officers and other government officials alike. In reality, what could help those issues would be to get educated on both sides of the law. What does it mean to have a search warrant? Are you allowed to be searched without a warrant? These are basic human rights that both a civilian and civil service worker should know which all relate back to criminal procedure. When searching, â€Å"search and seizure† into the United States Code, there were a ton of things that turned up, but one stuck out – an article titled, â€Å"16 USC 706: Arrests; search warrants†. Now, I have seen countless videos on YouTube of people screaming that police are unlawfully searching them without their permission, I’m sure we all have, but I’ve always wondered who was in the wrong. Was it really the civil service workers fault? Were those people right? This article states that the only way someone is allowed to be searched, and therefore arrested, without a warrant is if a police officer visually sees a crime being committed. This makes perfect sense – for example, prostitution. If a police officer pulls up to a prostitute and they offer that officer services, there is no reason for the officer to get a warrant. The prostitute has already committed the crime, which the officer has witnessed first hand. It goes on to state, then, that an officer can search anyone and anything IF they have a search warrant which can be obtained from the judge. But what happens when a person still doesn’t want to be searched? That lead me to the joint article titled, â€Å"18 USC 2231: Assault or resistance†. It is a normal reaction, when a stranger enters your home, to be a bit taken aback. This article, however, talks about what happens when a legal search and seizure take place and a citizen resists and/or assaults an officer. When an officer has a warrant to search and/or seize some of your property, there is nothing you can do. Though, if you decide to take physical action against that officer, even using a deadly weapon, you could be imprisoned for up to ten years. These are just glimpses into some of the United States Codes that make up our criminal procedure and our everyday laws. There is a whole process both parties have to go through when a suspected crime is committed. Not only are these codes in place to help police officers, but to protect a citizen from unlawful treatment. Criminal procedure is meant to help both parties and, hopefully, with a little bit of education, that message can be spread throughout the United States.       References Worrall, J. L. (2015).  Criminal Procedure: From First Contact To Appeal  (5th ed.). Retrieved August 26, 2017. 2231. Assault or resistance. (n.d.). Retrieved August 26, 2017, from http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=search%2Band%2Bseizuref=treesortfq=truenum=45hl=trueedition=prelimgranuleId=USC-prelim-title18-section2231 706. Arrests; search warrants. (n.d.). Retrieved August 26, 2017, from http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=search and seizuref=treesortfq=truenum=18hl=trueedition=prelimgranuleId=USC-prelim-title16-section706#sourcecredit

An Analytical Essay on Excessive Pride in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart :: Things Fall Apart essays

Excessive Pride in Things Fall Apart In Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart, a well-known aphorism, "pride goes before a fall", was used. I agreed with and supported this statement. The story line itself backed up this statement as well. Through Okonkwo's hard work he became a "great man" with a sense of pride and haughtiness, who then suffered a loss of pride, which ultimately led to his down fall and his own suicide. This book went along with the commonly stated cliché. In addition to that, there was a widely known joke that went well with this. "One day there was an airplane pilot flying Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Bill (a kid), and Billy Gram. Something went wrong with the plane, so it had to be abandoned. The airplane pilot strapped on a parachute and said to them, "there is only four parachutes but I am taking one." Bill Clinton grabbed the second one and said, "I am the most important man and my country needs me so I am taking one too." Then, Bill Gates grabbed the third one and said, "I am the smartest man in the world and my people need me." So, Bill (a kid) was just looking... at the fourth parachute and Billy Gram said to him, "I am an old man and you are young, you have your whole life ahead of you, take the last parachute." Finally, Bill (a kid) looked up at him and said, "I was not thinking about that, it's just that the smartest man in the world took my backpack." As you saw from the book and the joke, both Okonkwo, and Bill Gates were full of prejudice pride. They thought they were "great men", and saw others as inferior to them and incapable of living substantially if they were not the backbone. Okonkwo's pride grew immensely when he was an eighteen-year-old boy growing up in Umuofia. His father, Unoka was a lazy and imprudent man so Okonkwo sought to be everything his father was not. He threw Amalinze the Cat, who was a wily craftsman, and great wrestler that was unbeaten for seven years from Umuofia to Mbaino. That victory made Okonkwo known past the nine villages.

Dear Junior Admin Essay

There are several things to check and several things that could be wrong. I would start by making sure that you have your ranges of IP addresses right and that you didn’t mistype any numbers. Check your exclusions and be sure that your new ranges don’t fall in between the old ranges that were there before if you had any for the last set. You can also check the workstations that didn’t take the changes individually. Be sure that they don’t have static IP address set for those computers. If they do, then change them to dynamic and restart the computers. If they have the dynamic bullet check then open up a command prompt and ping the server. If you get no response use the ipconfig commands. Release the IP addresses with the IP release command and then use the ip renew command. If the workstations still do not work after trying the previous suggestions you can always assign your workstations using static IP addressing. It will be time consuming but with only twenty five workstations it shouldn’t be too overwhelming. If the first suggestions do not work and you simply don’t want to do all the work of using static ip addresses then you can always start over and try putting in the new configurations again. The second time around be sure to restart your server and restart all of your workstations so the new changes will take effect. You may have to do it at a time when the company can afford the network to be all the way down for a few hours.

The Second Amendment Of The United States - 874 Words

When comes to the second question’s answer; the citizens of the United States take power from the Second Amendment of the Constitution to get a gun. Second Amendment of the United States that was adopted in 1791 emphasizes, â€Å"Every individual was granted the right of gun ownership and bearing gun† (Diaz, 54). For those citizens who want to buy a gun can put their constitutional rights forward so that all barriers can easily be eliminated in front of owning a gun. People may want to have a gun due to some security concerns, but when a gun falls into wrong people’s hand, it causes unpleasant situations that were proven by some incidents and statistics. According to a survey, which was carried out by the US Centers of Disease Control (CDC), in the United States 32,251 people died in 2011 because of the firearms. 55 percent of these deaths were cause of suicide, 41 percent was homicide, 2 percent was unintentional deaths, 1 percent of deaths were cause of legal i ntervention, and the other 1 percent was undetermined deaths (Webmester, 19). When looking at the car accident related death data in 2012, which is released by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety administration, 33,561 people in the United States died as a result of car accidents (Webmester, 19). According to the CDC report, the firearms related deaths are expected to surpass the car crash – related deaths by the end of 2015, because the current data trend displays that car crash – related deaths areShow MoreRelatedThe Second Amendment Of The United States1725 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Americans are deeply divided over the Second Amendment. 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