Congressional Pay Raise. Freshman Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) hoped to offer an amendment to the Treasury-Postal Service appropriations bill (H.R. 5120) to kill an automatic cost of living adjustment (COLA) in fiscal 2003. Congress did not block the automatic COLA increases any of the last three years, and without intervening this year congressmen will receive a $4,700 pay increase, boosting their salaries to $154,700.
But Matheson was never able to offer his amendment. He was blocked, by design, by a procedural motion to \"order the previous question,\" and thus end debate and the possibility of amendment, on adopting the rule governing House floor consideration of H.R. 5120. The vote on the motion was 258 to 156 on July 18, 2002 (Roll Call 322). We have assigned pluses to the nays. By blocking consideration of Matheson\’s proposal, the congressional majority obviously hoped to receive their next COLA increase without being accused of voting for it.
