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Summary

Congress is required by Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution to determine its own pay. Prior to 1969, Congress did so by enacting stand-alone legislation. From 1789 through 1968, Congress raised its pay 22 times using this procedure. Congressional salaries initially were $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 recently in 1982, 1983, 1989, and 1991, but two other methods are now also available, an automatic annual adjustment procedure and a commission process. In January 2004, Members are scheduled to receive a 2.2% annual adjustment, increasing their salary to $158,100. It is possible that Members will receive a 1.5% increase instead, if Congress does not approve the conference report on an omnibus spending bill by the end of 2003. This report will be updated to reflect the most recent congressional actions.

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