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). It becomes effective at the same time as, and at a rate no greater than, the annual base pay rate adjustment for federal white-collar civilian employees under the General Schedule (GS). The adjustment cannot, however, be less than zero or greater than 5%. 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. Since the enactment of the Ethics Reform Act, federal officials have received pay adjustments as follow: Adjustment was 3.6%. P.L. 101-520 , Title III, §321, November 5, 1990; 104 Stat. 2254, at 2285, authorized the judicial pay adjustment. Adjustment was 3.5%. P.L. 102-140 , Title III, §305, October 28, 1991; 105 Stat. 782, at 810, authorized the judicial pay adjustment. Adjustment was 3.2%. P.L. 102-395 , Title III, §304, October 6, 1992; 106 Stat. 1828, at 1859, authorized the judicial pay adjustment. Projected adjustment was 2.1%. Congress passed legislation freezing salaries for Members of Congress ( P.L. 103-6 , §7, March 4, 1993; 107 Stat. 33, at 35). Federal officials did not receive a pay adjustment because GS base pay was not adjusted ( P.L. 103-123 , §517B, §615, October 28, 1993; 107 Stat. 1226, at 1253-1254, 1261-1263). Projected adjustment was 2.6%, but would have been limited to GS base pay adjustment of 2.0%. Federal officials did not receive a pay adjustment ( P.L. 103-329 , §630(a)(2), September 30, 1994; 108 Stat. 2382, at 2424). Projected adjustment was 2.3%, but would have been limited to GS base pay adjustment of 2.0%. Federal officials did not receive a pay adjustment ( P.L. 104-52 , §633, November 19, 1995; 109 Stat. 468, at 507). Projected adjustment was 2.3%. Federal officials did not receive a pay adjustment ( P.L. 104-208 , §637, September 30, 1996; 110 Stat. 3009, at 3009-364). Projected adjustment was 2.9%. Adjustment was 2.3%, the same as the GS base pay adjustment. P.L. 105-119 , Title III, §306, November 26, 1997; 111 Stat. 2440, at 2493, authorized the judicial pay adjustment. Projected adjustment was 3.4%, but would have been limited to GS base pay adjustment of 3.1%. Federal officials did not receive a pay adjustment ( P.L. 105-277 , §621, October 21, 1998; 112 Stat. 2681, at 2681-518). Adjustment was 3.4%. P.L. 106-113 , Div. B, §1000(a)(1) [Title III, §304], November 29, 1999; 113 Stat. 1501, at 1535, 1501A-36-A37, authorized the judicial pay adjustment. Projected adjustment was 3.0%. Adjustment was 2.7%, the same as the GS base pay adjustment. P.L. 106-553 , §1(a)(2) [Title III, §309], December 21, 2000; 114 Stat. 2762 at, 2762A-89, authorized the judicial pay adjustment. Adjustment was 3.4%. P.L. 107-77 , Title III, §305, November 28, 2001; 115 Stat. 748, at 783, authorized the judicial pay adjustment. Projected adjustment was 3.3%. Adjustment was 3.1%, the same as the GS base pay adjustment. P.L. 108-6 , §1, February 13, 2003; 117 Stat. 10, authorized the judicial pay adjustment. Adjustment was 2.2%. Adjusted temporarily at 1.5% pending enactment of P.L. 108-199 . P.L. 108-167 , §1, December 6, 2003; 117 Stat. 2031, authorized the judicial pay adjustment. Adjustment was 2.5%. P.L. 108-447 , §306, December 8, 2004; 118 Stat. 2809, at 2895, authorized the judicial pay adjustment. Adjustment was 1.9%. P.L. 109-115 , §405, November 30, 2005; 119 Stat. 2396, at 2470 authorized the judicial pay adjustment. Projected adjustment was 2.0%. Adjustment was 1.7%, the same as the GS base pay adjustment. The Vice President and federal officials paid on the EX schedule received the 1.7% pay increase. Section 115 of P.L. 110-5 denied the Members a pay adjustment in 2007. Justices and judges did not receive a pay adjustment because Congress did not authorize it as required by law. S. 197 , to provide the authorization, passed the Senate by unanimous consent on January 8, 2007, and was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, but no further action occurred. Projected adjustment was 2.7%. Adjustment was 2.5%, the same as the GS base pay adjustment. P.L. 110-161 , Division D, §305, December 26, 2007; 121 Stat. 1844 authorized the judicial pay adjustment. Adjustment was 2.8%. The adjustment for legislative and executive officials was provided in P.L. 110-329 , the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 ( H.R. 2638 ) enacted on September 30, 2008 (which provided funds for government operations from October 1, 2008, through March 6, 2009), and H.R. 1105 , Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009, passed by the House of Representatives on February 25, 2009, on a 245-178 (Roll No. 86) vote and the Senate on March 10, 2009, by voice vote, and signed by President Obama on March 11, 2009 (which provides funds for government operations through September 30, 2009). Division D, Title III, Section 310 of H.R. 1105 authorized the adjustment for justices and judges. Projected adjustment was 2.1%. Adjustment was 1.5%, the same as the GS base pay adjustment. The Vice President and federal officials paid on the EX schedule received the 1.5% pay increase. Section 103 of Division J of P.L. 111-8 denied the Members a pay adjustment in 2010. Justices and judges did not receive a pay adjustment because Congress did not authorize it as required by law. S. 1432 , to provide the 2010 authorization, was reported to the Senate by the Committee on Appropriations ( S.Rept. 111-43 ) on July 9, 2009, but no further action occurred. Projected adjustment was 0.9%. This was the same as the January 2011 base pay adjustment required under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990 for federal civilian white-collar employees paid under the GS. 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. 111-322 , December 22, 2010). The Budget of the U.S. Government included President Barack Obama's order to freeze pay for senior political officials— the Vice President; individuals serving in EX positions or in positions whose rate of pay is fixed by statute at an EX level and serving at the pleasure of the President or other appointing official; a chief of mission or ambassador at large; a noncareer appointee in the Senior Executive Service; any employee whose rate of basic pay (including locality payments) is at or above EX level IV who serves at the pleasure of the appointing official; and senior White House staff with salaries of more than $100,000. The budget also reiterated that the policy prohibiting political appointees from receiving bonuses continued. 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). Table 1 , below, shows the salaries for federal officials from January 2004 to January 2011. The Federal Judicial Fairness Act of 2009, S. 2725 was introduced, but saw no further action, in the 111th Congress.