Equal COLA Act

Hozzl · 2025-09-17T08:06:57Z

Explore the details of House Bill 491 Equal COLA Act currently in Congress. Get insights into its purpose, current status, sponsors, and potential impact on Government Operations and Politics. Stay informed on legislative developments.

9/17/2025, 8:06 AM

Summary of Bill HR 491

Bill 119 HR 491 aims to make changes to title 5 of the United States Code in order to ensure that the cost-of-living adjustment for annuities under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) is on par with those under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The bill seeks to achieve parity between the two systems in terms of the adjustments made to annuities to account for changes in the cost of living.

The bill also includes provisions for other purposes related to federal employee retirement benefits. This legislation is important as it aims to ensure fairness and equity in the retirement benefits provided to federal employees under different retirement systems.

Overall, Bill 119 HR 491 seeks to address disparities in cost-of-living adjustments for federal employee annuities and promote equality in retirement benefits for all federal employees.

Congressional Summary of HR 491

Equal COLA Act

This bill applies a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for annuities paid under the Federal Employees Retirement System that is equal to the increase in inflation, regardless of the amount of the increase.

Specifically, for any year in which the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has increased over the previous year, the COLA amount shall be increased by the change in the CPI from the previous year.

Current law applies an adjustment equal to the change in CPI only if the change is 2% or less. If the change is between 2% and 3%, the adjustment is limited to 2%. If the change is more than 3%, the adjustment is limited to 1% less than the change.

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Current Status of Bill HR 491

Bill HR 491 is currently in the status of Bill Introduced since January 16, 2025. Bill HR 491 was introduced during Congress 119 and was introduced to the House on January 16, 2025. Bill HR 491's most recent activity was ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Walkinshaw asked unanimous consent that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 491, a bill originally introduced by Representative Connolly, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection. as of September 16, 2025

Bipartisan Support of Bill HR 491

Total Number of Sponsors

Democrat Sponsors

Republican Sponsors

Unaffiliated Sponsors

Total Number of Cosponsors

219

Democrat Cosponsors

218

Republican Cosponsors

Unaffiliated Cosponsors

Policy Area and Potential Impact of Bill HR 491

Primary Policy Focus

Government Operations and Politics

Potential Impact Areas

- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

- Inflation and prices

Alternate Title(s) of Bill HR 491

To amend title 5, United States Code, to achieve parity between the cost-of-living adjustment with respect to an annuity under the Federal Employees Retirement System and an annuity under the Civil Service Retirement System, and for other purposes.