To authorize salary adjustments for Justices and judges of the United States for fiscal year 2005.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5363) to authorize salary adjustments for Justices and judges of the United States for fiscal year 2005.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5363, the bill currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5363 to provide a cost-of- living adjustment for Federal judges in fiscal year 2005.

By way of background, Congress enacted the Executive Salary Cost-of- Living Adjustment Act in 1975, which was intended to give judges, Members of Congress and high-ranking executive branch officials automatic COLAs accorded other Federal employees unless rejected by Congress. In 1981, Congress amended the statute by enacting section 140 of Public Law 97-92, which requires specific congressional action to grant judges a COLA.

Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us is based on the template set forth in H.R. 3349, now Public Law 108-167. That law satisfied the section 140 requirement and thereby enabled judges to receive a COLA this past fiscal year. H.R. 5363 accomplishes the same purpose for fiscal year 2005.

H.R. 5363 will ensure that Federal judges receive a COLA when other civil servants, including Members of Congress, receive theirs. The legislation will assist in the administration of justice in our Federal courts and is otherwise noncontroversial. I urge its adoption.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This is a great day in the Federal system where we on the Committee on the Judiciary have decided to authorize a COLA for the members of the Federal judicial system in America. Now, there are only a couple of problems here, and I, of course, enthusiastically support H.R. 5363.

The first is that those who work in the administrative office of the courts, those who work for the Federal judges, now enjoy greater salaries than the judges themselves.

The second thing is that, under the system that we are implementing, Article III, section 1 of the Constitution, the fact of the matter is that the failure to provide past cost-of-living adjustments to our Federal judiciary has, in the last decade, resulted in an economic reduction in salary in the equivalent amount of $77,000, and so we are now faced with a crisis of dozens, six dozen, judges having left the judiciary in the past several years.

I think it is obvious to all that it is hard to continue to maintain a qualified and independent judiciary if we are not paying them a just wage.

Having said this, we have brought this measure forward, not a moment too soon, to provide for them a cost-of-living adjustment for the present term.

So I enthusiastically join the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) in supporting this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5363, a bill authorizing cost-of-living salary adjustments for justices and judges of the federal courts for fiscal year 2005 that has been introduced by Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner and co-sponsored by Ranking Member John Conyers of the Judiciary Committee. The bill would provide for a 2.5 percent adjustment of federal judiciary salaries. I thank the Chairman for his leadership in bringing this very important matter to the floor. In 1981, Congress passed a Joint Resolution Making Further Continuing Appropriations for FY 1982, and Section 140 of that

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5363, a bill authorizing cost-of-living salary adjustments for justices and judges of the Federal courts for fiscal year 2005 that has been introduced by Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner and co-sponsored by Ranking Member John Conyers of the Judiciary Committee. The bill would provide for a 2.5 percent adjustment of Federal judiciary salaries. I thank the Chairman for his leadership in bringing this very important matter to the floor. In 1981, Congress passed a Joint Resolution Making Further Continuing Appropriations for FY 1982, and Section 140 of that

Mr. Speaker, I am unable to be in Washington, DC today. Two weeks ago, I injured my leg and my physician prefers that I not put it through the stress of an airplane flight from my home in Seattle, WA to Washington, DC. Were I able to attend today's session in the House of Representatives, I would have voted in support of:

S. 1301, H.R. 5364, H. Con. Res. 430, S. 2965, H.R. 4516, H.R. 3204,