House members vote to accept $4,400 cost-of-living pay raise
By Andrew Taylor
Associated Press, 6/28/07

Washington - Despite record-low approval ratings, House lawmakers Wednesday voted to accept an approximately $4,400 pay raise that will increase their salaries to almost $170,000.

The cost-of-living raise gets lawmakers back on track for automatic pay raises after a fight between Democrats and Republicans last year and again in January killed the pay hike due this year. That was the first interruption of the annual congressional pay hike in seven years.

The blowup came after Democrats last year fulfilled a campaign promise to deny themselves a pay hike until Congress raised the minimum wage. Delays in the minimum wage bill cost every lawmaker about $3,100 this year.

On a 244-181 vote Wednesday, Democrats and Republicans alike killed a bid by Reps. Jim Matheson, Democrat of Utah, and Lee Terry, Republican of Nebraska, to get a direct vote to block the COLA, which is automatically awarded unless lawmakers vote to block it. The Senate has not indicated when it will deal with a similar measure.

Ohio's delegation was split, with yes votes from Republicans Mike Turner of Centerville, Paul Gillmor of Tiffin, David Hobson of Springfield, John Boehner of West Chester, Ralph Regula of Navarre and Democrats Tim Ryan of Niles, Marcy Kaptur of Toledo and Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Cleveland.

Voting no were Republicans Steve Chabot of Cincinnati, Jean Schmidt of Miami Township, Jim Jordan of Urbana, Pat Tiberi of Genoa, Steve LaTourette of Concord Township and Deborah Pryce of Upper Arlington and Democrats Dennis Kucinich, of Cleveland, Betty Sutton of Copley, Charlie Wilson of St. Clairsville and Zack Space of Dover.

As part of an ethics reform bill in 1989, Congress gave up its ability to accept pay for speeches and made annual cost-of-living pay increases automatic unless the lawmakers voted otherwise.

In the early days of GOP control of Congress, lawmakers routinely denied themselves the annual COLA.

Under the annual COLA, lawmakers automatically get a pay hike unless Congress votes to block it. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, and Minority Whip Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, worked to smooth the way for the pay hike.

Typically, the annual vote on the pay hike comes on an obscure procedural move - instead of a direct up-or-down vote - and the Democratic and GOP whips each delivered a roughly equal number of votes to shut off any move to block the pay hike.

Also, the House approved a bill to hike spending for the environment, national parks and global warming research.

The measure, approved 272-155, would allocate $27.6 billion for the Interior Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Forest Service and other agencies, a 4.3 percent increase over current spending.