Ida A. Brudnick
Specialist on the Congress
This report provides basic information on congressional salaries and allowances.
First, the report briefly summarizes the current salary of Members of Congress, limits on their outside earned income and honoraria, available life and health insurance, and retirement benefits.
Second, the report provides information on allowances available to Representatives and Senators to support them in their official and representational duties. These allowances cover official office expenses, including staff, mail, travel between a Member’s district or state and Washington, DC, and other goods and services.
Third, the report lists the salaries of Members, House and Senate officers and officials, and salary limits for committee staff.
This information is derived from House and Senate hearings, reports, and annual and supplemental legislative branch appropriations acts; the U.S. Code and U.S. Code Annotated Supplements to Title 2; Order of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, implementing a pay increase for House employees; Order of the President pro tempore, implementing a pay increase for Senate employees; the Members’ Congressional Handbook, prepared by the Committee on House Administration, available at http://cha.house.gov/; the quarterly Statement of Disbursements of the House, compiled by the House Chief Administrative Officer, available at http://disbursements.house.gov/; the semiannual Report of the Secretary of the Senate, available at http://www.senate.gov/legislative/common/generic/report_secsen.htm; and the Office of Personnel Management for executive level pay rates to which some legislative employees are statutorily linked.
Further information on salaries of Members of Congress may be found in CRS Report 97-615, Salaries of Members of Congress: Congressional Votes, 1990-2012, by Ida A. Brudnick and CRS Report 97-1011, Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables, by Ida A. Brudnick. Additional information on other topics may be found in reports referenced throughout.
Date of Report: December 4, 2012
Number of Pages: 14
Order Number: RL30064
Price: $29.95
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