for the record
Here's how some major bills fared recently in Congress and how local congressional members voted, as provided by Thomas Voting Reports. The District's congressional delegate is not permitted to vote on final passage of legislation. "NV" means "not voting."</br></br>The House of Representatives voted to join the Senate in blocking a congressional pay raise set for January 2011. The bill (HR 5146) will freeze salaries at levels in effect since January 2009, which are $174,000 for rank-and-file members, $193,400 for the House and Senate majority and minority leaders and the Senate president pro tempore, and $223,500 for the House speaker. Under federal law, lawmakers automatically receive cost-of-living increases each January unless they vote to block them.</br></br>Other top federal salaries are $400,000 for the president, $230,700 for the vice president, $223,500 for the chief justice of the United States, $213,900 for associate Supreme Court justices, $199,700 for Cabinet officers, $184,500 for appellate judges and $174,00 for district judges. When Congress freezes its own pay, it usually follows up by freezing other top salaries as well.</br></br>The House passed a bill (HR 2499) authorizing Puerto Rico to hold a plebiscite on whether it wishes to remain a U.S. territory or seek independence or statehood. If the mandate is for change, a second vote would be held to determine the new status. However, only Congress could grant statehood. Although Puerto Rico's 4.1 million residents are U.S. citizens, they lack voting representation in Congress and cannot vote in presidential elections, among other exceptions to full citizenship.</br></br>The House refused to stipulate English as Puerto Rico's official language if it were to choose statehood under HR 2499 (above). The motion also sought to affirm residents' Second Amendment right to bear arms if Puerto Rico becomes a state.