[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 131 (Monday, September 19, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             VOTE TO STOP AUTOMATIC CONGRESSIONAL PAY RAISE

  (Mr. LIGHTFOOT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LIGHTFOOT. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues had better listen up. 
Because I am about to talk about their pay raise.
  Congress is about to allow itself an automatic pay raise that is 
bigger than the raise being provided to most Federal employees. More 
important, Mr. Speaker, Congress can kill this automatic pay raise.
  Let me repeat. We can stop the congressional pay raise. For the first 
time, the House-passed fiscal year 1995 Treasury-Postal appropriations 
bill had this language prohibiting Congress from getting a pay raise 
being provided for Federal employees. But the Senate deleted this 
language. Thus, the matter is conferenceable. But the Senate deleted 
this language. Thus, the matter is conferenceable. But the House-Senate 
Treasury-Postal conference has been delayed again and again.
  In the last-minute legislative crush, and while attention is focused 
elsewhere, we should not allow a congressional pay hike to sneak 
through when it is in our power to stop it. So today I am notifying the 
House of my intent to offer a motion to instruct confereees on the 
Treasury-Postal appropriations bill. And tomorrow, if the conference 
report has not been filed, Members will have an up-or-down vote on 
raising their own pay.
  We can do the right thing. We can stop an automatic congressional pay 
hike. We can vote tomorrow for the Lightfoot motion to instruct. And 
America will be watching.

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