H.R. 491: Equal COLA Act
Sponsor
Gerald Connolly
Democrat · VA-11
Federal retirees shouldn't lose ground to inflation
Why it matters
If you're retired under FERS, this bill would give your pension the full annual inflation increase instead of a reduced COLA formula. That means future December raises would track inflation more closely.
H.R. 491 is about one thing: the yearly inflation bump for retirees in the Federal Employees Retirement System, or FERS. If this bill passes, current and future FERS retirees would get the full annual inflation increase on eligible annuities after the law takes effect.
Right now, FERS retirees can receive a smaller cost-of-living adjustment than retirees in the older Civil Service Retirement System. This bill would erase that difference by tying the annual FERS increase to the full change in the price index, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent.
The increase would take effect each year on December 1. To get that year's adjustment, your annuity would need to have started by that date.
The bill is not retroactive for past COLAs — it only changes increases made after enactment. But it is broad about who qualifies going forward: people already retired under FERS, people who retire later, and eligible survivor annuitants could all be covered.
The bill text does not include a funding amount, benefit cap, or new application process. What changes is the formula: future FERS COLAs would match the full measured inflation increase instead of the reduced formula used now.
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Sep 16, 2025
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.
H.R. 491 Bill Summary
What H.R. 491 actually does.
FERS retirees get the full inflation increase
The bill would base the annual FERS COLA on the full year-over-year change in the price index, rounded to the nearest 0.1%.
Annual pension increase happens every December 1
Eligible annuities would receive the yearly adjustment on December 1, creating one fixed date for the increase.
Current retirees are included
The bill applies to annuities that began before, on, or after enactment, so people already receiving FERS annuities could benefit from future COLAs.
Future retirees are covered too
Workers who retire later under FERS would use the same full-inflation formula for COLAs once they are receiving an eligible annuity.
Past COLAs do not get reopened
The new formula would apply only to adjustments made after the bill becomes law, not to increases already paid in prior years.
Existing eligibility rules still matter
The bill keeps the current rule that your annuity must have started by December 1 to receive that year's adjustment.
Who benefits from H.R. 491?
Current FERS retirees living on fixed monthly checks
If you're already retired under FERS, future annual raises on your annuity could better match inflation instead of trailing it.
Future federal workers who will retire under FERS
People still in federal service today could retire into a system with stronger inflation protection on their pension checks.
Survivors receiving FERS annuities
Eligible survivor annuitants covered by FERS could also receive future COLAs under the full inflation formula.
Households relying on federal retirement income
When food, housing, and medical costs rise, a larger COLA can help a retirement check hold more of its buying power.
Who is affected by H.R. 491?
FERS annuitants
This is the core group affected because H.R. 491 changes how their future annual cost-of-living increases are calculated.
Retirees under CSRS
The bill text says it is meant to achieve parity with CSRS COLAs, but it does not change CSRS benefits directly.
Office of Personnel Management
OPM would need to apply the new formula for future December 1 COLAs and determine which annuities qualify each year.
The federal retirement fund and budget writers
Larger future COLAs would increase pension costs over time, so budget staff would have to score the added expense.
What Congress Is Saying
H.R. 491 has come up 28 times in the Congressional Record so far.
H.R. 491 also appeared in 1 more House floor reference and 27 routine cosponsor filings.
HR491 Legislative Journey
House: Introduced
Sep 16, 2025
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.
House: Committee Action
Jan 16, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
About the Sponsor
Gerald Connolly
Democrat, Virginia's 11th congressional district · 16 years in Congress
Committees: Foreign Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform
View full profile →
Cosponsors (86)
This bill has 86 cosponsors: 83 Democrats, 3 Republicans. Cosponsors represent 30 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, and 27 more.
Kevin Mullin
Democrat · CA
Rashida Tlaib
Democrat · MI
Julia Brownley
Democrat · CA
Brendan Boyle
Democrat · PA
Emanuel Cleaver
Democrat · MO
Donald Davis
Democrat · NC
Lucy McBath
Democrat · GA
Suzan DelBene
Democrat · WA
Maxwell Frost
Democrat · FL
Steve Cohen
Democrat · TN
Teresa Leger Fernandez
Democrat · NM
Frank Mrvan
Democrat · IN
Committee Sponsors
Oversight and Government Reform Committee
11 of 47 committee members cosponsored
10 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 491 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Oversight and Government Reform
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Government Operations and Politics
- Introduced
- Jan 16, 2025
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.
Sep 16, 2025
Official Sources
Official bill status, text, sponsors, and actions for the Equal COLA Act.
This is the specific FERS statute H.R. 491 would amend to change annual cost-of-living adjustments.
OPM’s official overview of the Federal Employees Retirement System, the retirement system directly affected by this bill.
Official OPM overview of the Civil Service Retirement System, which the bill uses as the parity benchmark for COLAs.
The bill ties FERS COLAs to the full change in the price index, and BLS publishes the federal government’s official CPI data.
GovInfo provides the official U.S. Code collection, including Title 5 provisions governing federal retirement annuities.
OPM administers federal retirement benefits and would be responsible for implementing any new FERS COLA formula enacted by this bill.
H.R. 491 Common Questions
What does H.R. 491 do for FERS retirees?
It would give eligible FERS annuities the full annual inflation increase for future COLAs, instead of the reduced formula used now.
Would current FERS retirees get the higher COLA?
Yes. H.R. 491 applies to future COLAs on annuities that started before, on, or after enactment, so current retirees are included going forward.
Does H.R. 491 apply to future retirees too?
Yes. If you retire under FERS later, your eligible annuity could receive the full-inflation COLA once the bill is law.
When would the new FERS COLA take effect?
The annual adjustment would take effect on December 1 each year. Your annuity has to start by that date to get that year's COLA.
Would H.R. 491 raise past COLA payments?
No. It only applies to COLAs made after the bill becomes law, so earlier increases would stay the same.
Does this bill make FERS COLAs match CSRS?
That is the bill's goal. The bill text says it would create parity by giving FERS annuities the full annual price-index increase.
How is the new COLA calculated under H.R. 491?
It uses the full year-over-year change in the price index, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent.
What is the status of H.R. 491?
H.R. 491 is still in an early House stage. Congress.gov says Rep. Walkinshaw was later recognized as first sponsor, and the bill has 86 cosponsors.
Based on H.R. 491 bill text
H.R. 491 Bill Text
“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.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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