Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Officials: Process for Adjusting Pay and Current Salaries

Publication Date: January 2006

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Government

Type:

Abstract:

Leaders and Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Vice President, individuals in positions on the Executive Schedule (EX), and federal justices and judges -- all hereafter referred to as federal officials -- receive an annual pay adjustment under the Ethics Reform Act of 1989, P.L. 101-194 (103 Stat. 1716, at 1769, 5 U.S.C. Section 5318 note). The percentage change in the wages and salaries for the private industry workers element of the Employment Cost Index (ECI), minus 0.5% (December indicator) provides the basis for the pay adjustment. In January 2006, federal officials received a 1.9% salary increase.

EX pay rates provide limitations on maximum basic pay rates for Members of the Senior Executive Service and employees in senior-level (SL) and scientific and professional (ST) positions. EX pay rates also provide limitations on basic pay, basic pay and locality pay combined, and total compensation for employees in General Schedule (GS) positions.

This report includes four tables which provide the January 2004, January 2005, and January 2006 salaries for federal officials and members of the SES, and for employees in SL, ST, and GS-15 positions in the Washington, DC, and the "Rest of the United States" locality pay areas. It will be updated as more information about future pay increases becomes available.