Staff Payrolls Grow at 3 Times the Inflation Rate

While the job market was stagnant in much of the country, members of the House of Representatives expanded their overall payroll for personal staff by nearly 9% last year, a study has found.

House staff salaries totaled $230 million in 1992, up $18.9 million from the 1991 figure of $211.1 million, according to a survey by Roll Call Report Syndicate.

The percentage increase was more than triple the 2.9% inflation rate for 1992, as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

The survey examined the “clerk-hire” account that pays the approximately 7,500 aides on the personal staffs of the 435 House members and five delegates. It did not cover House committee staff or Senate staff payroll.

On average, staff payroll rose from $479,786 per member in 1991 to $522,734 in 1992.

House rules permit a member to hire up to 18 full-time and four part-time aides at salaries of up to $108,234. The average full-time salary last year was $33,388, with nearly 60% of House staffers receiving less than $30,000, according to the Congressional Management Foundation.

Each House member was allotted $557,400 for personal staff payroll with the option of raising that cap to $632,480 by transferring up to $75,000 from their general expense allowance. Members’ unspent payroll usually is transferred to other House accounts rather than returned to the Treasury.

The 45 members then in office from California registered a combined payroll increase of more than $2 million, up from $22,116,459 in 1991 to $24,122,052 in 1992. Although the total for 1993 is not available, it is sure to be higher because California now sends 52 members to the House.

Only two from California lowered their office staff expenses last year. David Dreier (R-San Dimas) registered a decrease of $8,843, or -1.9%, and Al McCandless (R-La Quinta) trimmed $3,663, or -0.8%.

The largest single increase among the California delegation was by Randy Cunningham (R-San Diego), who was up $117,979, or 25.3%. Others notable for their large increases were Calvin Dooley (D-Visalia), $98,750, or 22.5%; Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), $79,286, or 18.1%, and Edward R. Roybal (D-Los Angeles), $61,899, or 15.4%. Roybal retired last year after 30 years in office.

Nationwide, the largest individual increases were registered mostly by lawmakers who left Congress at the end of 1992: Democrats Charles A. Hayes of Illinois (36.5%), Joe Kolter of Pennsylvania (32.7%) and Edward F. Feighan of Ohio (23.7%), and Republicans Larry J. Hopkins of Kentucky (32.3%), Dick Nichols of Kansas (31.4%) and Clarence E. Miller of Ohio (24.1%).

Fattened payrolls usually are defended as necessary to keep pace with increasing constituent and policy demands. The argument is also heard that a faltering economy or bungling federal bureaucracy can trigger a heavier workload that in turn justifies staff upgrades.

“The federal government is huge and there are very unfair, unreasonable things that can happen to people, and they run up against a stone wall in trying to work them out,” said Selby McCash, staff chief to Rep. J. Roy Rowland (D-Ga.), who had the lowest payroll among Georgia House members ($463,013, up 4.9% from 1991).

Seventeen House members lowered payrolls in 1992, led by Republicans Joseph M. McDade of Pennsylvania (-6.2%), C.W. Bill Young of Florida (-5.1%), Gary Franks of Connecticut (-4.6%) and Joel Hefley of Colorado (-4.4%).

Rep. Dennis M. Hertel (D-Mich.), who left Congress after 1992, had the highest payroll at $612,327, and Rep. William H. Natcher (D-Ky.) the lowest at $224,899.

Following Hertel for 1992 high payrolls were California Democrats Barbara Boxer of Greenbrae ($611,355) and Tom Lantos of Burlingame ($608,909). Other Democrats were Marty Russo of Illinois ($604,263) and Al Swift of Washington ($603,230), and Republicans Raymond J. McGrath of New York ($603,937), Constance A. Morella of Maryland ($602,445), John Miller of Washington ($600,198) and Jack Fields of Texas ($600,137).

Ranking next-lowest to Natcher were Republican Toby Roth of Wisconsin ($389,458), Democrats Jamie L. Whitten of Mississippi ($388,823), Andrew Jacobs Jr. of Indiana ($395,910) and W.G. Hefner of North Carolina ($418,850), and Republicans Young of Florida ($415,472) and Hefley of Colorado ($428,321).

Employment levels on Capitol Hill remain constant after skyrocketing during the 1970s and ‘80s. The deficit is part of the reason, but another factor is that Congress has virtually run out of office space.

But staffers say taxpayers get a good return on their investment.

“I have a certain amount of cynicism about some of the things I’ve seen,” said McCash, a longtime state capital newspaper reporter and the staff chief to Rep. Rowland. “But after 10 years . . . I surprise myself at how positive I am about the quality and amount of work I see staffs do.”

House Staff Salaries

The figures, from Clerk of the House reports, are sums that Westside members of the House of Representatives spent on their personal staff salaries. The typical House member employs 15 to 20 aides. The California delegation in the years surveyed had 45 members. Representative: Anthony C. Beilenson, D-Woodland Hills, 24th District (formerly 23rd District) 1991: $429,233 1992: $457,732 Increase: $28,499 Change: 6.6%

*Representative: Julian C. Dixon, D-Los Angeles, 32nd District (formerly 28th District) 1991: $515,265 1992: $534,649 Increase: $19,384 Change: 3.8%

*Representative: Mel Levine, D-Los Angeles (formerly 27th District, no longer in office) 1991: $529,909 1992: $571,991 Increase: $42,082 Change: 7.9%

*Representative: Henry A. Waxman, D-Los Angeles, 29th District (formerly 24th District) 1991: $574,824 1992: $590,988 Increase: $16,164 Change: 2.8%

*California delegation total: 1991: $22,116,459 1992: $24,122,052 Increase: $2,005,593 Jane Harman, D-Marina del Rey, 36th District, was not in office.

Source: Roll Call Report Syndicate