	Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Officials

A provision in the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 provides for an annual salary adjustment for leaders and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives, the Vice President, individuals in positions on the Executive Schedule (EX), and federal justices and judges. The adjustment is based on the percentage change in the wages and salaries (not seasonally adjusted) for the private industry workers element of the Employment Cost Index (ECI), minus 0.5% (December indicator). While this provision of the Ethics Reform Act sets the rate of the judicial pay adjustment, a 1981 law provides that any salary increase for justices and judges must be "specifically authorized by Act of Congress hereafter enacted." The legislative, executive, and judicial officials are all hereafter referred to as federal officials in this report. Federal officials did not receive a pay adjustment ( P.L. Federal officials did not receive a pay adjustment ( P.L. 111-165 denied the Members a pay adjustment in 2011. The Vice President, federal officials paid on the EX schedule, and justices and judges also did not receive a pay adjustment in January 2011 because GS base pay was not adjusted (Title I, Section 1(a)(2) of P.L. 2012

Projected adjustment would have been 1.3%. This adjustment would have been limited to 1.1%, the January 2012 base pay adjustment required under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990 for federal civilian white-collar employees paid under the GS. GS base pay is frozen through December 31, 2012, so Members of Congress, the Vice President, federal officials paid on the EX schedule, and justices and judges will not receive a pay adjustment in January 2012 (Title I, Section 1(a)(2) of P.L. 111-322 , December 22, 2010). Senior Executive Service and Certain Senior-Level Positions

Maximum basic pay rates for members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and certain senior-level positions are tied to the Executive Schedule. SL and ST employees no longer receive locality pay. EX pay rates provide limitations on GS pay.
Leaders and Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Vice President, individuals in positions on the Executive Schedule (EX), and federal justices and judges—all hereafter referred to as federal officials—are to receive an annual pay adjustment under the Ethics Reform Act of 1989, P.L. 101-194 (103 Stat. 1716, at 1769, 5 U.S.C. §5318 note). The percentage change in the wages and salaries for the private industry workers element of the Employment Cost Index (ECI), minus 0.5% (December indicator), provides the basis for the pay adjustment. In January 2011, the Vice President and federal officials paid on the EX schedule did not receive a salary increase. Members of Congress also did not receive a pay adjustment in January 2011; P.L. 111-165, enacted on May 14, 2010, denied the adjustment. Federal justices and judges, likewise, did not receive a January 2011 pay adjustment. Section 140 of P.L. 97-92, enacted on December 15, 1981, provides that any salary increase for justices and judges must be specifically authorized by Congress, and this authorization was not provided for 2011.
The pay adjustment for federal officials required under the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 would have been 1.3% in January 2012. This adjustment would have been limited to 1.1%, the January 2012 base pay adjustment required under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990 for federal civilian white-collar employees paid under the GS. Under Title I, Section 1(a)(2) of P.L. 111-322, enacted on December 22, 2010, GS base pay is frozen through December 31, 2012, so Members of Congress, the Vice President, federal officials paid on the EX schedule, and justices and judges will not receive a pay adjustment in January 2012.
EX pay rates provide limitations on maximum basic pay rates for members of the Senior Executive Service (SES), employees in senior-level (SL) and scientific and professional (ST) positions, and on basic pay, basic pay and locality pay combined, and total compensation for employees in General Schedule positions.
This report will be updated as events dictate.