A call to raise the salary of New York state lawmakers has been rejected. Lawmakers now make $79,500 for what is technically a part-time job. A state commission with the power to grant a raise balked at the idea today. Commissioner Fran Reiter refused to vote for a 2.15 percent annualized raise over the past 17 years.
“If you make a recommendation today, then we’ve lost any chance of still trying to reach some kind of agreement and giving the Legislature the chance to come back before the end of the year and do what I believe would be the right thing for them to do which is to recognize the needs of their members, to recognize the need to do away with outside salaries or at least cap them substantially as other legislative bodies have done for exactly the same reasons and come to an agreement on a salary as I mentioned that would far exceed what [Commissioner] Roman [Hedges] has put forward,” said Reiter.
Lawmakers could convene a lame-duck session this year to vote on a pay raise or appoint a new commission to reconsider.
Legislative pay is seen as a touchy subject following scandals that have seen more than 30 lawmakers leave office facing ethics or criminal allegations since 2000.
Information from Associated Press was used in this report.
