SALARIES, CONGRESSIONAL
\sˈaləɹiz], \sˈaləɹiz], \s_ˈa_l_ə_ɹ_i_z]\
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Clause 1 of Art. I, Sect. 6, of the Constitution provides that "the Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States." Under the Articles of Confederation each State provided payment for its own members of Congress, but in the convention of 1787 it was thought best that they be made independent of their States in this respect. Pinckney suggested that the Senate, representing the wealth of the country, be allowed no salary, but the proposition was voted down. The First Congress voted that its members be paid $6.00 per day and $6.00 for each twenty miles of travel going and coming. The rates have been repeatedly changed. They were: From 1789 to 1815, $6.00 per day; from 1815 to 1817, $1500 per year; from 1817 to 1855, $8.00 per day; from 1855 to 1865, $3000 per year; from 1865 to 1871, $5000 per year; from 1871 to 1874, $7500 per year; and since 1874, $5000 per year. The Senators and Representatives have received the same compensation, except during 1795, when the Senators received $7.00 per day. The Speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate receive $8000 per year. A mileage of twenty cents is allowed. The change in 1816 from $6.00 per day to $1500 per year was received with great disfavor, as was that of 1873, to take effect from March 4, 1871, which is known as the "salary grab." All changes in Congressional salaries have been retroactive, covering from twelve to twenty-four months. Acts affecting salaries prior to 1866 were separate acts. Since then they have frequently been sections of an appropriation act.
By John Franklin Jameson
Word of the day
Dopamine Acetyltransferase
- An enzyme that catalyzes the of groups from acetyl-CoA to arylamines. They have wide specificity for aromatic amines, particularly serotonin, and can also catalyze acetyl transfer between arylamines without CoA. EC 2.3.1.5.
Nearby Words
- salangane
- salantol
- salaried
- salaries
- salaries and fringe benefits
- Salaries, Congressional
- salaries, executive
- salaries, judicial
- salary
- salary cut
- salary grab