ANTI-MOSQUITO BEHAVIOR OF ADULT AND JUVENILE WHITE-FOOTED MICE (PEROMYSCUS LEUCOPUS) (TREEHOLE MOSQUITO, AEDES TRISERIATUS, EPIDEMIOLOGY)

Rodents seldom are identified as hosts for mosquitoes, based on serological analysis of bloodmeals. However, due to limited survey and lack of sensitivity in most bloodmeal analyses, host species can be misrepresented or undetected. Knowledge of behavior of a potential host species can complement results of bloodmeal analysis, because active vertebrates may prevent mosquito feeding and thus rarely serve as hosts. The objectives of this study were to characterize anti-mosquito behavior in the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis) and to examine effectiveness of such behavior in mice based on age, prior exposure to mosquitoes, and immediate environment. I used wild-stock Aedes triseriatus mosquitoes, reared in lab, in experiments with four groups of mice: (1) wild-caught adult males in a barren enclosure; (2) wild-caught adult males in an enclosure with seeds and nest material that could be manipulated, simulating natural activity; (3) adult males from a lab colony of P. leucopus; and (4) wild-stock, lab-reared juveniles with or without practice (prior exposure to mosquitoes). I used an electronic event recorder to monitor grooming, exploring, resting, and anti-mosquito actions. I observed each mouse without and then with mosquitoes. I then anesthetized each mouse to verify that lack of mosquito feeding success on the non-anesthetized (active) mouse was due to mouse behavior. Results indicated that the role of prior exposure to mosquitoes was minimal. Wild adult mice maintained defense while handling and eating seeds, implying that anti-mosquito behavior probably is an integral part of their activity in nature. Certain actions, such as ear-flick, occurred almost exclusively when mosquitoes were present. Juveniles usually caught, killed, and ate more mosquitoes than did adults. Individuality of mouse behavior affected the outcome of mouse-mosquito interactions. All mice, except one, had highly effective defense against mosquitoes. Therefore, P. leucopus probably rarely serves as host for mosquitoes in nature and, thus, as host or reservoir for mosquito-borne diseases

Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress

Prior to 1984, neither federal civil service employees nor Members of Congress paid Social Security taxes, nor were they eligible for Social Security benefits. Members of Congress and other federal employees were instead covered by a separate pension plan called the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The 1983 amendments to the Social Security Act (P.L. 98-21) required federal employees first hired after 1983 to participate in Social Security. These amendments also required all Members of Congress to participate in Social Security as of January 1, 1984, regardless of when they first entered Congress. Because CSRS was not designed to coordinate with Social Security, Congress directed the development of a new retirement plan for federal workers. The result was the Federal Employees’ Retirement System Act of 1986 (P.L. 99- 335). Members of Congress first elected in 1984 or later are covered automatically under the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS). All Senators and those Representatives serving as Members prior to September 30, 2003, may decline this coverage. Representatives entering office on or after September 30, 2003, cannot elect to be excluded from such coverage. Members who were already in Congress when Social Security coverage went into effect could either remain in CSRS or change their coverage to FERS. Members are now covered under one of four different retirement arrangements: CSRS and Social Security; The “CSRS Offset” plan, which includes both CSRS and Social Security, but with CSRS contributions and benefits reduced by Social Security contributions and benefits; FERS and Social Security; or Social Security alone. Congressional pensions, like those of other federal employees, are financed through a combination of employee and employer contributions. All Members pay Social Security payroll taxes equal to 6.2% of the Social Security taxable wage base ($117,000 in 2014). Members first covered by FERS prior to 2013 also pay 1.3$117,000 of salary, and 8.0% of salary above this amount, into the CSRDF. Under both CSRS and FERS, Members of Congress are eligible for a pension at the age of 62 if they have completed at least five years of service. Members are eligible for a pension at age 50 if they have completed 20 years of service, or at any age after completing 25 years of service. The amount of the pension depends on years of service and the average of the highest three years of salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member’s retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary. There were 527 retired Members of Congress receiving federal pensions based fully or in part on their congressional service as of October 1, 2012. Of this number, 312 had retired under CSRS and were receiving an average annual pension of $71,472. A total of 215 Members had retired with service under FERS and were receiving an average annual pension of$40,560 in 2012. with service under FERS and were receiving an average annual pension of $40,560 in 2012

Unemployment Insurance: Consequences of Changes in State Unemployment Compensation Laws

[Excerpt] This report analyzes recent changes to state Unemployment Compensation (UC) programs. Two categories of UC state law issues are considered: (1) changes in the duration of state UC unemployment benefits, and (2) changes in the UC weekly benefit amount

Unemployment Insurance: Consequences of Changes in State Unemployment Compensation Laws

[Excerpt] This report analyzes several types of recent changes to state Unemployment Compensation (UC) programs. Three categories of UC state law issues are considered: (1) changes in the duration of state UC unemployment benefits; (2) changes in the UC weekly benefit amount; and (3) the enactment into state law of two trigger options for the Extended Benefit (EB) program

Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities

[Excerpt] Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) are based on the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). COLAs for both CSRS and FERS are determined by the average monthly CPI-W during the third quarter (July to September) of the current calendar year and the third quarter of the base year, which is the last previous year in which a COLA was applied. The “effective date” for COLAs is December, but they first appear in the benefits issued during the following January. All CSRS retirees and survivors receive COLAs. Under FERS, however, nondisabled retirees under the age of 62 do not receive COLAs. Survivors and disabled retirees are eligible for COLAs under FERS regardless of age. CSRS pays a COLA that is equal to the percentage change in the CPI-W during the measurement period, but COLAs under FERS are limited if the rate of inflation is greater than 2.0%. If the rate of inflation during the measurement period is between 2.0% and 3.0%, the COLA under FERS is 2.0%. If inflation is greater than 3.0%, then the COLA for FERS benefits is equal to the CPI-W minus one percentage point. Congress passed the first law requiring automatic COLAs for federal civil service retirement benefits in 1962, and it has adjusted either the formula by which they are calculated or the date on which they take effect more than ten times since then. If consumer prices as measured by the CPI-W do not increase from the third quarter of the base year to the third quarter of the current calendar year, there is no COLA for annuities paid under CSRS or FERS. For example, from the third quarter of 2014 to the third quarter of 2015, the CPI- W fell by 0.4%. Therefore, no COLA was paid under either CSRS or FERS beginning January 2016. From the third quarter of 2018 to the third quarter of 2019, the CPI-W increased by 1.6%. Therefore, beginning in January 2020, the CSRS COLA and the FERS COLA are both 1.6%

Federal Employees: Pension COLAs and Pay Adjustments Since 1969

[Excerpt] Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retired federal employees and pay adjustments for current federal employees often differ because they are based on changes in different economic variables. Federal retirement and disability benefits are indexed to price increases as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), whereas pay adjustments for civilian federal workers are indexed to wage and salary increases in the private sector, as measured by the Employment Cost Index (ECI). Both the CPI-W and the ECI are calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Federal law requires Social Security benefits and pensions paid to retired federal employees to be adjusted for inflation each year. The COLAs for both Social Security and civil service pensions are based on inflation as measured by the CPI-W. Congress has linked COLAs for Social Security and federal retirement benefits to the rate of increase in the prices of goods and services to protect retirement income from losing purchasing power through the effects of inflation. Congress has linked adjustments in federal pay to the ECI so that wages for federal employees will remain competitive with wages paid by firms in the private sector. Under the terms of the Federal Employees\u27 Pay Comparability Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-509), pay for civilian federal employees is adjusted each year to keep the salaries of federal workers competitive with comparable occupations in the private sector. These annual adjustments in federal employee pay—which are distinct from any pay raises associated with within-grade step increases or promotions to a higher pay grade—are based on changes in the cash compensation paid to workers in the private sector, as measured by the ECI. Under certain circumstances, the President may limit the annual increase in federal pay by executive order. In general, wage increases reflect both improvements in the productivity of labor and increases in the general level of prices in the economy. Consequently, when measured over long periods of time, wages tend to rise faster than prices. Because COLAs for retirees do not reflect increases in the productivity of people who are still in the work force, COLAs do not make retirees financially better off. COLAs merely protect retirees from becoming financially worse-off as prices rise over time. In 2011, there will be no automatic COLA for recipients of Social Security benefits or federal civil service pensions because the price level as measured by the CPI-W did not increase over the comparison period. Increases in retirement benefits for retired federal employees were first linked to the CPI-W by law in 1962. Increases in Social Security benefits have been linked by law to changes in the CPI-W since 1973. Before then, Congress periodically adjusted Social Security benefits through legislation. Congress chose to tie increases in these benefits to the CPI-W to make the process less subject to political influences. At year-end 2009, the overall price level as measured by the CPI-W was 477% higher than it was in 1969, which is the index base year chosen for this report\u27s analysis. As of January 2010, Social Security benefits have risen by 626% since 1969, and federal civil service retirement benefits have risen by 496%. Average wages among all workers in the economy have risen by 632% since 1969. Salaries for civilian federal employees have grown by 428% since 1969, and the salaries of members of Congress have increased by 309%. This report is updated annually

Federal Employees’ Retirement System: The Role of the Thrift Savings Plan

[Excerpt] Federal employees participate in one of two retirement systems. The Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) was established in 1920 and covers only employees hired before 1984. Participants in the CSRS do not pay Social Security payroll taxes and they do not earn Social Security benefits. For a worker retiring after 30 years of federal service, a CSRS annuity will be equal to 56.25% of the average of his or her highest three consecutive years of basic pay. Because the Social Security trust funds needed additional cash contributions to remain solvent, the Social Security Amendments of 1983 (P.L. 98-21) required federal employees hired after 1983 to participate in Social Security. To coordinate federal pension benefits with Social Security, Congress directed the development of a new retirement system for federal employees hired after 1983. The result was the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS) Act of 1986 (P.L. 99- 335). The FERS consists of three elements: • Social Security, • the FERS basic retirement annuity and the FERS supplement, and • the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). All federal employees initially hired into federal employment on or after January 1, 1984, are enrolled in the FERS, as are employees who voluntarily switched from CSRS to FERS during “open seasons” held in 1987 and 1998. Of 2,751,000 federal civilian and Postal Service employees enrolled in these federal retirement plans as of September 30, 2013, 2,477,000 (90%) were participating in the FERS and 274,000 (10%) were under the CSRS