In the state capital of Albany a new proposal has surfaced to boost the pay of the 213 state lawmakers by 26 percent. This is coming just a few years after their last raise.

2 On Your Side checked this out for the taxpayers.

Just as state lawmakers in Albany are these days discussing, debating, and shaping Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed $260 billion state budget comes a new bill from State Senator James Sanders Junior, who represents the New York City borough of Queens. He is calling in that measure to actually boost the pay of himself and the other state lawmakers up to $180,000.

Republican NYS Assemblyman Paul Bologna, who represents Clarence and Lockport in the 144th District, responded this way: “That is absolutely ridiculous. It is tone deaf.”

But Senator Sanders, who lives in the very high cost of living New York City, has cited in the reasoning for that raise proposal “the expanded duties of legislators with the complexity and time commitment as they have a full service public role and that this level of compensation will provide qualified, diverse, and ethical lawmakers and government.”

Now remember, lawmakers since 1999 had made $79,500, and their pay went up to the current highest in the nation salary of $142,000 in 2022 with their per diem or daily travel, hotel, and meals fee allowance of $203 a day. That is all covered by taxpayers.

More reaction from Assemblymember Bologna: “At some point you can repeat the word ‘affordability’ all you want. You can just keep saying it until you’re blue in the face. But the fact of the matter is that it has gotten too expensive to live in the state of New York, and it is a largely self-inflicted crisis by New York State’s government’s own doing.”

Democratic Assemblyman Jon Rivera — who represents parts of Buffalo, Hamburg, and Blasdell in the 140th District — sent a statement:

“At a time when so many New Yorkers are struggling to afford groceries, rent, child care, and everyday expenses, the last thing we should be doing is voting to give ourselves a raise. Our focus in Albany should be squarely on lowering the cost of living for working families, bolstering small businesses, and making sure people can get ahead. Finding ways to increase our own compensation runs contrary to that, and public service is about putting the needs of our constituents first. Until the families we represent feel real relief from the financial pressures they face every day, I do not believe it is appropriate for legislators to consider a pay increase of any kind.”

Now some perspective. According to the Ballotpedia website, it shows again New York with the highest paid lawmakers in the country followed by California at $132,703 , Pennsylvania at $110,000, and Illinois at $93,712.

We sought more lawmaker pay perspective from UB Political Science Professor Jacob Neiheisel. He told us: “A well compensated, professional legislature ends up being a more productive one, ends up being one that gets higher quality legislators through the door. It’s not all good news, but there are some benefits to a well compensated legislature. Where that threshold is in terms of well compensated versus too much, I don’t know.”

Ballotpedia also showed that New Hampshire state lawmakers are only paid $100, but they are part time compared to the full-time status of New York lawmakers.

Professor Neiheisel says: “The opposite side of the spectrum from New York would be something like New Hampshire which is one of the least professionalized legislatures. And they have just a different culture of this is something you do as part of your civic duty and you step up to do that. And you shouldn’t be expected to be paid a whole lot to do your duty in that respect.”    

  

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