CONGRESS FOR VOTERS

Alex Padilla (D-CA)

Equal COLA Act

S. 624 · Senate bill Government Operations and Politics

A Democratic bill with 18 Democratic cosponsors · See all 20 cosponsors

Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S1011)

In committee

Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.

The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.

Its path through Congress

  1. Introduced
  2. In Committee

What this bill would do

This bill, known as the "Equal COLA Act," seeks to amend title 5 of the United States Code. The primary goal is to achieve parity between cost-of-living adjustments for annuities under the Federal Employees Retirement System and those under the Civil Service Retirement System. It changes how annuity increases are calculated based on percent change in the price index. These changes would apply to cost-of-living adjustments made after the Act is enacted. The amendment covers annuities regardless of whether they commenced before, on, or after the date of enactment.

Yes· 3 of 4

  • Scored +5

    Would people over 65 be better off under this?

    The bill increases the cost-of-living adjustments for federal retirement annuities, providing more income for retirees.

  • Scored +5

    Would retired people be better off under this?

    The bill provides higher annual cost-of-living adjustments for federal retirees under the FERS system.

  • Scored +3

    Would middle-income households be better off under this?

    Federal employees and retirees in the middle class will benefit from more predictable and parity-aligned income adjustments.

The opposite

  • Scored -2

    Does this make the government pay for what it commits to?

    By increasing the cost-of-living adjustment for FERS annuities to match CSRS, the bill increases future federal outlays.