[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16345]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     WHY I'M OPPOSED TO A PAY HIKE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 15, 1999

  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, very soon the House will decide on the 
matter of Congressional pay raises. This topic has also been considered 
by the State of Colorado. The Colorado General Assembly recently 
adopted Senate Joint Memorial 99-005--sponsored by Senate President Ray 
Powers of Colorado Springs, and State Representative Doug Dean of 
Colorado Springs, Colorado.
  Mr. Speaker, the Constitution of the United States also speaks to the 
topic of legislative pay raises. It forbids Members of Congress from 
voting themselves pay raises. Amendment XXVII--``the Madison 
Amendment''--says, ``No law, varying the compensation for the services 
of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an 
election of Representatives shall have intervened.''
  As one who has served in the Colorado State Senate, I am persuaded 
Colorado's official position on the matter of pay raises is thoughtful 
and representative of Coloradans generally. Therefore Mr. Speaker, I 
urge our colleagues to consider my state's perspective, as enumerated 
in SJM 99-005, which I hereby submit for the Record.
  Furthermore, I offer this Memorial as the basis for my vote against 
the pay raise in question.

                                        Colorado State Senate,

                                         Denver, CO, May 21, 1999.
     Hon. Bob Schaffer,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Schaffer: The Senate and the House of 
     Representatives of the First Regular Session of the Sixty-
     second General Assembly of the State of Colorado have adopted 
     the enclosed Senate Joint Memorial No. 99-5 and directed that 
     a copy be forwarded to you for your information.
           Sincerely,
                                                Patricia K. Dicks,
                                          Secretary of the Senate.

  Enclosure.

                      Senate Joint Memorial 99-005

       Whereas, The twenty-seventh amendment to the constitution 
     of the United States, also known as ``The Madison 
     Amendment'', provides that ``No law, varying the compensation 
     for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall 
     take effect until an election of Representatives shall have 
     intervened.''; and
       Whereas, The twenty-seventh amendment requires that an 
     intervening election be held between the enactment of any 
     congressional pay increase and its subsequent application to 
     any member of Congress; and
       Whereas, The twenty-seventh amendment requirement's 
     requirement for an intervening election is intended to allow 
     voters in each state and congressional district to obtain 
     direct information regarding salary increases prior to the 
     reelection of incumbents or the election of others in their 
     stead; and
       Whereas, Salary increases for members of Congress currently 
     are regulated by ``The Government Ethics Reform Act of 
     1989,'' (``The Act'') pursuant to 2 U.S.C. sec. 31; and
       Whereas, The Act gives members of Congress an immediate 
     one-time salary increase and, in subsequent years, an annual 
     cost of living adjustment increase to salaries or pensions; 
     and
       Whereas, Such annual cost of living adjustment is 
     established in accordance with federal law and incorporated 
     in an executive order of the President in December of each 
     year to establish salary increases that are put into effect 
     on January 1 of the next year; and
       Whereas, Through the automatic operation of the cost of 
     living adjustment provisions, congressional salaries have 
     been increased on the first day of January for several years; 
     and
       Whereas, Without the action of legislation, each Congress 
     effectively and automatically enacts for itself a cost of 
     living adjustment salary increase in violation of the twenty-
     seventh amendment; and
       Whereas, When each year's cost of living adjustment 
     increase is paid on the following January 1 to members of 
     Congress, former members, or spouses of deceased members 
     without the process of an intervening election, the twenty-
     seventh amendment is violated; now therefore,
       Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-second General 
     Assembly of the State of Colorado, with the House of 
     Representatives concurring herein:
       That the General Assembly hereby expresses its opposition 
     to automatic annual cost of living adjustment salary 
     increases for members of Congress of the United States as 
     violative of the twenty-seventh amendment to the United 
     States Constitution and hereby memorializes the Congress to 
     refrain from enacting any pay increase for members of 
     Congress without an affirmative vote or that takes effect 
     before the following Congress has been elected and fully 
     sworn into office. Be it further
       Resolved, That copies of this Memorial be sent to the 
     President of the United States, the President of the Senate 
     and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the 
     Congress of the United States, and to each member of the 
     Congressional delegation representing the state of Colorado.