Comments on: What’s The Average Salary of House Staff? http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/2009/12/02/whats-the-average-salary-of-house-staff/ Recommendations, Resources, and Reform Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:48:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Dori Ullman http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/2009/12/02/whats-the-average-salary-of-house-staff/comment-page-1/#comment-67461 Dori Ullman Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:48:31 +0000 http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/?p=540#comment-67461 I don't think the pay is inflated. However, the position of Staff Assistant isn't making enough salary. They probably qualify for food stamps in DC. The problem, it seems to me, to be the numbers of different types of staff there are to give assistance to the Senators and Representatives to get the job done. Actually, they don't get it done. But, still that's too much support staff. I don’t think the pay is inflated. However, the position of Staff Assistant isn’t making enough salary. They probably qualify for food stamps in DC. The problem, it seems to me, to be the numbers of different types of staff there are to give assistance to the Senators and Representatives to get the job done. Actually, they don’t get it done. But, still that’s too much support staff.

]]> By: D. W. Plezia http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/2009/12/02/whats-the-average-salary-of-house-staff/comment-page-1/#comment-65439 D. W. Plezia Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:21:23 +0000 http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/?p=540#comment-65439 You say: "Part of what struck me is how nearly all congressional staff pay is squeezed between $30-$60k annually. The people who are working on issues worth billions of dollars and overseeing all federal agencies earn less than entry level pay for an executive branch employee with a professional degree (or a master’s degree with one year’s experience)." They may not be doing their jobs or what we think are supposed to be their jobs. After all, don't the lobbiests prepare most of the legislation? These people may just be runners. Or relatives? You say: “Part of what struck me is how nearly all congressional staff pay is squeezed between $30-$60k annually. The people who are working on issues worth billions of dollars and overseeing all federal agencies earn less than entry level pay for an executive branch employee with a professional degree (or a master’s degree with one year’s experience).”

They may not be doing their jobs or what we think are supposed to be their jobs.

After all, don’t the lobbiests prepare most of the legislation? These people may just be runners. Or relatives?

]]> By: Al Gearing http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/2009/12/02/whats-the-average-salary-of-house-staff/comment-page-1/#comment-63582 Al Gearing Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:01:39 +0000 http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/?p=540#comment-63582 Just for fun I multiplied out the above numbers, rounded to the given $1000, that is $120,051.55 was entered at $120,000, and came up with $240,000,000 a year for the staff salaries. Add in $174,000 x 435 = 75,980,000. For a grand total of $315,980,000 for our House of Representatives, I can't but think that is the beginning of wasteful spending. My firm conviction is that we could live very nicely with only the Ten Commanments, and maybe a 200 or so derivatives to detail such things as rules for safe driving. Not the 1000 upon 1000's of pages of laws that we have and more to come, that limit our liberties. Al Ge Just for fun I multiplied out the above numbers, rounded to the given $1000, that is $120,051.55 was entered at $120,000, and came up with $240,000,000 a year for the staff salaries. Add in $174,000 x 435 = 75,980,000. For a grand total of $315,980,000 for our House of Representatives, I can’t but think that is the beginning of wasteful spending. My firm conviction is that we could live very nicely with only the Ten Commanments, and maybe a 200 or so derivatives to detail such things as rules for safe driving. Not the 1000 upon 1000’s of pages of laws that we have and more to come, that limit our liberties.
Al Ge

]]> By: HC http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/2009/12/02/whats-the-average-salary-of-house-staff/comment-page-1/#comment-63157 HC Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:12:09 +0000 http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/?p=540#comment-63157 That's not entirely right...it's not uncommon for an executive branch employee with a professional degree to start at or slightly below the high end of that number, even in DC (professional series starts at GS-11). Also remember that there are a number of non-paid interns working up there at any given time as well, and a number of the lower paid staffers work there on the largess of their parents/etc. in the expectation of that experience leading on to bigger and better things. Also, the expertise differential between low-end Hill staffers and high-end ones is just as dramatic, if not more, than the pay differential. That’s not entirely right…it’s not uncommon for an executive branch employee with a professional degree to start at or slightly below the high end of that number, even in DC (professional series starts at GS-11).

Also remember that there are a number of non-paid interns working up there at any given time as well, and a number of the lower paid staffers work there on the largess of their parents/etc. in the expectation of that experience leading on to bigger and better things. Also, the expertise differential between low-end Hill staffers and high-end ones is just as dramatic, if not more, than the pay differential.

]]> By: Jadxia http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/2009/12/02/whats-the-average-salary-of-house-staff/comment-page-1/#comment-62894 Jadxia Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:59:19 +0000 http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/?p=540#comment-62894 Not forgetting the hundreds of unpaid interns who are hoping to land a paying job on the Hill.. and the fact that most of these folks work well over forty hours a week. Is it any wonder how tempting it is to be corrupt? Not forgetting the hundreds of unpaid interns who are hoping to land a paying job on the Hill.. and the fact that most of these folks work well over forty hours a week.

Is it any wonder how tempting it is to be corrupt?

]]>