Congress' Self-Exemption: Legal Or Immoral?

There have been claims that members of Congress can exempt themselves from certain laws, such as sexual harassment and healthcare legislation. This claim is 15 years out of date, as following the Republican Revolution of 1994, Congress passed the Congressional Accountability Act (PL 104-1), which applies a dozen civil rights, labour and workplace safety regulations to the legislative branch. However, a 28th Amendment to the Constitution has been proposed barring Congress from enacting laws applying to its members and not equally to the citizens of the United States.

Congress members exempting themselves from sexual harassment laws

Congress has been accused of exempting itself from laws, including sexual harassment laws. However, this claim is false and outdated. In the 1980s, there were news stories accusing members of Congress of putting themselves "above their own laws". But following the "Republican Revolution" of 1994, Congress passed the Congressional Accountability Act (PL 104-1), which applies a dozen civil rights, labour and workplace safety regulations to the legislative branch.

Despite this, members of Congress have been accused of exempting themselves from sexual harassment laws. In 2013, a chain email circulated claiming that members of Congress could "retire with the same pay after only one term" and that they "specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed, such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment, while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. However, this claim was debunked by Snopes.com and FactCheck.org as "ridiculously false".

In 2018, Congress passed legislation to crack down on sexual harassment by its members, requiring lawmakers to pay for settlements and some court awards themselves, instead of using public funds. This legislation was approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and was signed into law by President Donald Trump.

Despite these efforts, there have been continued calls for stronger protections against sexual harassment by members of Congress. Rep. Jackie Speier has been working to pass legislation that would make members of Congress personally liable for harassment settlements against them.

Congress members exempting themselves from healthcare reform laws

It has been claimed that members of Congress can exempt themselves from laws, including healthcare reform laws. However, these claims are 15 years out of date. In the 1980s, there were news stories about members of Congress putting themselves "above their own laws". But following the "Republican Revolution" of 1994, Congress passed the Congressional Accountability Act (PL 104-1), which applies a dozen civil rights, labour and workplace safety regulations to the legislative branch.

Despite this, members of Congress have been accused of exempting themselves from healthcare reform laws. A chain email claims that members of Congress can "retire after one term with their same pay" and, while serving, "exempt themselves from some laws, e.g., sexual harassment and health care legislation". This email has been debunked by Snopes.com and FactCheck.org, but a poll by Public Policy Polling showed Congress to be very unpopular. A 28th Amendment to the Constitution has been proposed barring Congress from enacting laws applying to its members and not equally to "citizens of the United States".

Congress members not paying into Social Security

Congress has been accused of exempting itself from laws that apply to ordinary citizens, such as sexual harassment and healthcare legislation. In the 1980s, there were news stories claiming that Congress had put itself " [a]bove their own laws". However, following the "Republican Revolution" of 1994, Congress passed the Congressional Accountability Act, which applies a dozen civil rights, labour and workplace safety regulations to the legislative branch.

Despite rumours to the contrary, members of Congress do pay into Social Security, and have done so since 1984. They pay Social Security payroll taxes equal to 6.2% of the taxable wage base, and the government covers the other 6.2%. However, members of Congress do not pay Social Security taxes on their entire salary. The maximum Social Security taxable wage base is $97,500, so members do not pay Social Security on the $67,700 in annual wages they receive over the taxable wage base. Eligibility for Social Security benefits applies to members of Congress in the same way it applies to everyone else.

Congress members' relatives and staffers exempt from paying back student loans

Congress has been accused of exempting itself from laws it has passed, such as sexual harassment and healthcare legislation. However, in 1994, Congress passed the Congressional Accountability Act, which applies a dozen civil rights, labour and workplace safety regulations to the legislative branch.

There have been claims that members of Congress and their families and staff are exempt from repaying student loans. However, this has been debunked by Snopes.com, FactCheck.org and PolitiFact. While there is no law or program that automatically exempts all congressional staffers or family members from repaying student loans, some full-time congressional staffers participate in a student loan repayment program that helps pay back a portion of student loans. No more than $60,000 in the House and $40,000 in the Senate can be forgiven and only if the employee stays on the job for several years.

Congress members retiring with the same pay after one term

Congress has been accused of exempting itself from laws, including healthcare reform and sexual harassment legislation. However, these claims are outdated and were addressed in 1994 with the Congressional Accountability Act, which applies a dozen civil rights, labour and workplace safety regulations to the legislative branch.

In addition, Congress members have been accused of being able to retire with the same pay after one term. This claim has been debunked as false, as federal law prevents members of Congress from receiving full-pay retirement when they leave office. Their pension is based on the amount of time served, and to be eligible for the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) pension, they must have served in Congress for a minimum of five years (and be at least 62 years old). While it is true that Congress has more retirement plan options than the average citizen, and that their benefits are not negatively impacted by stock market recessions, it is not the case that they can retire with full pay after one term.

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