HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) \u2014 Each year, no matter what they\u2019ve accomplished in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania lawmakers get a raise.<\/p>\n
State law has required a yearly increase since 1995 as a way to prevent lawmakers from enriching themselves. The increase is based on an annual cost-of-living-adjustment that matches the federal consumer inflation figure for mid-Atlantic urban areas.<\/p>\n
Close<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Watch for us in your inbox.<\/p>\n Subscribe Now<\/p>\n Last year, that meant a 3.25% increase \u2014 making the $113,500 annual salary the highest in the nation for full-time lawmakers.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania\u2019s minimum wage, which has sat at $7.25 since 2009, is the lowest in the nation.<\/p>\n Rep. Emilky Kinkead (D-Allegheny) and Rep. G. Roni Green (D-Philadelphia) want to change that by tying lawmakers\u2019 salaries to the state\u2019s lowest-paid workers. The two proposed a bill this week that would require the state\u2019s minimum wage to rise at the same rate as salaries in the General Assembly.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we are getting a raise from taxpayers, then taxpayers should get a raise, as well,\u201d the two lawmakers said in a co-sponsorship memo to colleagues.<\/p>\n The bill, known as House Bill 2312, faces long odds in the legislature. Lawmakers were apprehensive<\/a> about delving into the matter when they got their last raise in December.<\/p>\n