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Congress debating pay options
According to a report in the The Hill, it appears to be all but certain that Congress will once again vote to forego its annual pay raise. However, there have been some competing proposals about what might happen after this year.
Currently, Congress gets an automatic cost-of-living increase each year unless they vote against the raise. Both chambers voted against a raise for 2010, and members of Congress are likely to deny themselves a raise again for 2011 given the combination of a bad national economy and an election year.
However, the picture beyond 2011 isn't clear. The Hill reports that Reps. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) have proposed freezing salaries only for 2011. Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) is proposing to cut member salaries in any year the government runs a deficit. And Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has suggested totally revamping the system, abolishing the automatic pay raises and instead establishing an independent commission to set pay, subject to a yes-or-no vote.
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