A commission is considering granting as much as a 47 percent pay raise for state lawmakers, and the proposal is generating some backlash, including from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The idea of raising state lawmakers' pay by nearly 50 percent comes after dozens of senators and Assembly members have been indicted, arrested and jailed for corruption, including the two former legislative leaders, who are both facing prison time.
Lawmakers have not seen a salary increase since 1999, and any proposals for pay hikes, even to just keep up with inflation, have stagnated over years of record late budgets, and now, a corruption crime wave.
The commission was created to try to take politics out of the issue. It calculates that the base pay of $79,500 a year for legislators would increase to about $113,000 a year, if the rising consumer price index over the past 17 years is factored in.
The commission does not have to issue any decision until Nov. 15, a week after Election Day.
But Cuomo said lawmakers need to reveal to voters before Nov. 8 whether they think they deserve a 47 percent pay raise.
“They’re not showing up at the hearings,” said Cuomo, who added they don’t want to say anything during the campaign.
“If you think you deserve a raise, say, ‘I deserve a raise,’ ” Cuomo said.
Cuomo backs a raise for his state agency commissioners. He said the current rate is not competitive and hinders his ability to recruit top candidates.
“So I’ll go first, I’m going to argue to the commission that we need to pay commissioners more to get top-flight people,” Cuomo said.
The governor did not name a figure for a salary increase. But if his commissioners were granted a raise consistent with the rate of inflation since 1999, they would receive about $200,000 a year. The governor also would see a pay hike to that amount, though Cuomo has never argued that he needs a raise.
Legislators are not required to make any comments to the pay commission for any raises to go forward. A spokesman for the state Senate majority party Republicans did not want to comment on the governor’s remarks. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat, said in a statement that members of the legislature “work hard and deserve a raise,” which he said is long “overdue.” Heastie said it’s up to the commission, not lawmakers, to decide whether the pay should be increased, and he said the commission should be allowed to do its work.
The pay commission has sought public comment. All 25 emails on its website are against the proposal, with some saying the idea is “nuts” and “ridiculous” and asking, “Are you out of your minds?”
Government reform groups, however, are in favor of raising lawmakers’ pay, as long as some changes are made. Susan Lerner with Common Cause testified at a hearing in the spring.
“We are very strong supporters of the idea of a pay raise,” she told the commission.
But Lerner said any pay raise needs to be accompanied by reforms. She said outside income by legislators should be banned or severely restricted. Abuse of outside income factored heavily in the corruption convictions of the two former legislative leaders. Lerner said if the pay is raised to $113,000 a year or more, then the extra stipends given to committee chairs and for leadership posts should be eliminated. She said right now, they are given out for political reasons to “reward loyal favorites” and to punish those “who show a certain degree of independence.”
Lerner said the stipend reward system also has led to the proliferation of too many unnecessary committees.
Cuomo has three of the seven appointees on the pay commission. The Senate and Assembly each have one appointee. The chief judge of the state has two. So Cuomo potentially does have more influence to sway the commission’s decision.