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Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Ind. Law - General Assembly passes pay raise for themselves, other state officials

Lesley Stedman Weidenbener reports today in the Louisville Courier Journal:

State legislators will receive higher salaries but less generous benefits under a bipartisan bill the House sent to Gov. Mitch Daniels yesterday.

Senate Bill 401 -- approved 60-39 -- also provides automatic future raises for lawmakers and statewide elected officials, including the governor.

Those increases will be tied to the raises received by state employees, which generally are between 2 percent and 4 percent annually.

Most of the changes will take effect in 2009. * * *

The bill is an attempt by lawmakers to remake their compensation system in the wake of criticism that the General Assembly has in the past voted itself generous health-insurance and pension benefits.

It also means lawmakers could receive future pay increases without having to vote on them. * * *

While losing those benefits, lawmakers will receive a pay increase of at least $9,000 annually.

Currently, they earn base pay of just $11,600, an amount that hasn't increased in 22 years.

However, they also receive additional money for serving as leaders and committee chairmen, in addition to payment meant to cover their session and non-session expenses, including travel costs. Those amounts have increased.

The average legislative salary -- including the money for expenses -- was about $40,000 last year.

Under SB 401, the new base salary will be set at 18 percent of the salary of trial court judges. If the bill went into effect today, that would mean a legislative base pay of $20,700.

But because judges receive automatic pay increases that are tied to the average increase for a state employee, that amount is expected to increase before the bill goes into effect in 2009. * * *

The bill also provides annual increases for most statewide elected officials based on the average raise for state employees. The governor would receive an increase only every four years.

Currently, the governor earns $95,000. The state treasurer, auditor and secretary of state earn $66,000 annually; the superintendent of public instruction and attorney general earn $79,400, and the lieutenant governor earns $76,000.

Karen Eschbacher of the Indianapolis Star reports:
Senate Bill 401, which would boost the salaries of members of the General Assembly and provide regular raises for statewide elected officials, passed the House 60-39 on Tuesday evening and is on its way to Gov. Mitch Daniels' desk. * * *

Under the bill, legislators' annual salaries would be set at 18 percent of a trial judge's pay. Indiana senators and representatives, who now make a base pay of $11,600, would earn more than $20,700 in 2009. Their salary would rise every time judges' pay does. * * *

The Senate has already approved the bill. Because the House did not change the Senate version, the bill now goes directly to the governor.

The Star also has a list of how the House members voted. Here is a link to the Roll Call Vote from the Senate.

For background, start with this ILB entry from yesterday.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 11, 2007 08:07 AM
Posted to Indiana Law