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LEGISLATURE & POLITICS

Panel approves bill tripling legislative pay

  • By JORDAN BLUM
  • Advocate Capitol News Bureau
  • Published: May 13, 2008 - Page: 4A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

A pay raise that would triple the base salaries of state legislators was approved Monday by the Senate Finance Committee without opposition.

The amended Senate Bill 672 links the salaries to an amount equal to 30 percent of the full-time base salaries of U.S. Congress.

Currently, legislators receive a $16,800 annual base salary, a $6,000 expense allowance and a daily per diem payment of $143 for every day they are in session or in committee.

Totaled, legislators can make from more than $35,000 a year to more than $50,000 annually for what is officially a part-time job, not counting other perks.

If the legislation is approved, legislators could receive close to $80,000 a year in all.

The legislation, which next heads to the Senate floor, would cost the state nearly $45 million over five years, according to the fiscal note.

The bill by state Sen. Ann Duplessis, D-New Orleans, would raise the base salaries to 30 percent of what members of the U.S. Congress receive, or about $50,700 per year initially, plus a $12,000 annual expense allowance. The per diem would stay the same.
The salaries would be adjusted annually, as members of Congress get raises.

Duplessis said the state can afford the raises because of $462 million in “significantly higher” extra state surplus revenue announced last week. The Senate Finance Committee was waiting on the surplus numbers before voting on the pay raise.

Still, the House Appropriations Committee cut about $120 million mostly in higher education and health care on Sunday from Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposed operating budget.

Baton Rouge lobbyist Randy Haynie spoke out on behalf of the pay raises Monday.

“I do not believe the public is aware of the hours you put in as public servants,” Haynie told the committee members.

Because the bill was discussed last week before being delayed, there was very little additional discussion on Monday.

Finance Committee Chairman Mike Michot, R-Lafayette, said he was undecided on the issue. But he said it at least deserves to be debated by the full Senate.


Comments (14)
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dingching225
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
2:50 AM

Awww,well isn't that nice!
joe
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
6:04 AM

This is a bad idea. We do not need full time State Legislators, they create too many problems now. Most of what they do is run for re-election by funding pet projects and inserting politics into the executive agencies doing favors for people so they cann get re-elected. It ought to be a part-time and they should greatly reduce the time that they are in session. While I am at it, we have way too many legislators, they need o reduce their numbers and reduce the time that they are in session.
louisiana-lady1937
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
7:48 AM

Why not leave things as they are and set in place an add-in to the basic pay procedures? This add in would be additional money to legislators based on a sliding scale of value added performance. I can think of one item that could be placed on this scale Find a solution to eliminating the cuts in spending for higher education, and health care. Or is this someone elses problem? Who would that group be?
JSM
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
7:56 AM

All too often we hear of legislators not present for votes or debate. Voting records are well maintained by both the government and watchdog groups. Why not tie pay to performance? Legislators would receive a percentage of their salary equivalent to the percentage of bills on which they vote and/or committee meetings they attend. After all, if they aren't performing the basic functions of a legislator, what are they doing? I had always assumed that the point of public service was just that... service.
Soop
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
8:01 AM

The knee-jerk reaction is to be against legislative pay raises. People who point out the Legislature is a part-time job are correct. But that is if you count time in session. Let's say you have a problem and approach your legislator at the local coffee shop. You start to tell him your problem and he or she says "Hold it ... I'm only part time and this time isn't part of that time!" Are you going to be happy with that? I would think not. In the past, legislative pay has been so low that only the rich, rich (who didn't need the salary) or the crooks (who planned to make up the difference through insider deals) could afford to run for office. And then WE couldn't figure out why such folks weren't representing the average guy! It is time to pay these folks more ... and then expect more. Maybe more average people would be able to run for office. Seems that to me is worth every extra penny.
cwd
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
8:32 AM

They say they were waiting to hear what the surplus would be before considering this bill. Where's the $$$ coming from after this year's surplus is used up? If LA doesn't have more surplus years (as has happened so many times) would they then vote to reduce their salarier? Not in our lifetime! The problem with the legislators is that they don't seem to "look down the road". Why not take a huge part of the surplus and PAY OFF SOME STATE DEBT??? That should free up a huge chunk of change!
Leisha
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
8:40 AM

When is someone going to look at the retirement benefits of the corrections retirees? My husband hasn't had a raise since he retired TEN years ago. I would think that the people who are elected to public office would know in advance what the job they are running for pays. They should also know what hours they would be working. I would say that the choice was theirs in the first place. Give the people who need a raise, a raise. Retired people live on a fixed budget and ours has not changed in a long time, while prices have continued to rise. Other state retirees need some help, too.
shelton
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
8:49 AM

I find it ironic that this same group of fiscal conservatives blasted then governor blanco for using one time dollars to increase state worker salaries this current fiscal year, and now they are doing the same. I do agree that a legislative body in any state should not have a $16,000 a year salary, however close to $80,000 for a part time job is absurd.
Crocket
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
9:03 AM

Typical Louisiana politics, cut Education and increase Legislature's pay. There is nothing in the article that says that just because of a pay increase they will be full time. 80K for a part time job is real good money. It makes me think about running for office. If they want such a tremendous pay raise, then BALANCE the budget and get us out of debt. Shore up EDUCATION and get us out from under the "dunce" cap. THEN, maybe they can think about a raise.
Joe the Taxpayer
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
9:20 AM

Its ashame that they see fit to raise themselves, but at the same time, they refuse to abolish state personal income taxes. For those of you that didn't notice, its not a fiscal conservative that is proposing this bill. Its a tax and spend liberal from New Orleans. She has no qualms about getting her rice and gravy off of us. Ask her if she would abolish state personal income taxes. I bet not. I say, they knew what it paid when they ran, let it stand. NO RAISE.
GovSamJones
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
9:24 AM

This is a terrible idea and sends a really bad message. What happened to the "tightening our belt" mentality that has produced cuts to higher ed. health and hospitals and state income tax. Let the recall petitions begin!
Mary
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
1:43 PM

what about "state employees"? we are hard working dedicated service employees. We are only given a mere four percent merit increase that takes 10 years to reach the maximum level of the pay scale. We are the behind the scene workers. The public really don't have a clue as to how hard we work , how over worked we are and how under staffed most agencies are. We pull double and sometimes tripple duties within various agences trying to service the public. Give us a raise, one that we can see and appreciate also.
LSUGradStudent
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
2:32 PM

This seriously makes me sick. The citizens of this state are already barely making it with the current economic forecast and this Senator (a democrat from New Orleans) has the audacity to introduce a bill to give her and colleagues a pay raise! Why do they deserve a pay raise? Has Louisiana moved up on nathional lists that we are always at the bottom of including education and income? I urge everyone who is as disgusted as I am first to e-mail Senator Duplessis your opinion (duplessisa@legis.state.la.us) and contact your local Senator about your concerns http://senate.legis.state.la.us/default.asp
joey791
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
7:57 PM

Well I wrote mine last week, its funny that House member M.J. "Mert" Smiley Jr. replied to my email and said that he would back a "modest" increase which I agree with, but unfortunately my Senate member Dale Erdey hasn't taken the time to even try and respond to me. And to LSUGradStudent, heres a heads up, not only is Mrs.Duplessis looking to fill her pockets but check out SB653 also authored by her which provides for a pay raise for legislative assistants and additional staffing for senators. Thanks elected officials for representing yourselves before you represent the people you were ELECTED TO REPRESENT. I appreciate Mr. Smiley responding to my email even though this is not even in the House.
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