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New York Democrats voted to give themselves a 29 percent pay raise just days before Christmas, which could make Albany the highest-paid state legislature in the nation.
Members of the state Assembly and Senate would earn a base salary of $142,000 under a bill they passed during a special session, an increase of $32,000 from the current $110,000. His new salary is three times the median New Yorker salary of $43,208.
Their last salary increase was in 2018, when they went from $79,500 to $110,000. It was the first time in 20 years that New York lawmakers received a raise. His pay in 1998 was $57,500.
The new raise, if approved by Gov. Kathy Hochul, would put them ahead of California state legislators, who are currently the highest-paid legislators in the country with an annual base salary of about $119,000, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. .
However, New York lawmakers would also face restrictions for the first time on how much they can earn from outside jobs.
Outside income would be capped at $35,000, starting in 2025. Paying more from military service, retirement plans or investments would still be allowed.
State Senators and the Assembly voted to give themselves a $32,000 raise from $110,000 to $142,000 a year. It is the first time they have received a raise since 2018, when they went from $79,500 to current salary.
The effort was largely pushed by Democrats and liberal Gov. Kathy Hochul has 30 days to sign or veto it (pictured: Assemblyman Edward Ra)
Democratic Sen. Sean Ryan said state legislators’ salaries “should be linked to inflation, but until we make that meaningful change, it’s reasonable to adjust them periodically accordingly.”
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, said lawmakers work hard all year long and deserve a raise to cover the rising cost of living, where inflation is up 7 percent.
“It’s a full-time job,” he said. “Sooner or later, in order to afford to do the job, we will have to raise the salary.”
However, many Republicans rejected the idea, as many of the lawmakers’ own constituents have not received pay raises due to inflation in their own jobs.
Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt said he found the increase “patently offensive to the people we represent.”
“Albany’s one-party ruling class continues to put their own misplaced priorities first,” Ortt said in a statement.
Republican Sen. George Borrello agreed, telling lawmakers Thursday that “most New Yorkers, not even close, would say they should go back to Albany for a special session and give themselves a raise and pat themselves on the back.”
‘Well, that’s what we’re doing today,’ he told his colleagues.
He criticized the fact that they had returned to Albany only to vote for a pay raise, instead of focusing on “criminal justice reforms” and “fixing the unemployment insurance fund.”
Lawmakers in New York, especially in the city, have faced heavy criticism over the spike in crime, which jumped 23 percent in the Big Apple, as of Dec. 18.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (pictured), a Democrat, said lawmakers work hard all year and deserve a raise to cover the rising cost of living, whose inflation has risen a seven percent.
Democrats argued that their salaries should be ‘linked to inflation’ and that there is nothing wrong with a raise here and there (pictured: Senator’s deputy majority leader Michael Gianaris, left , Senator Andrew J. Lanza, right)
Borrello also took issue with the proposed external income limit of $35,000, as a small business owner.
‘We are also talking about limiting external income. It sounds like a great idea, I’m sure, on the surface, a lot of people would think it’s a good idea,” he told his fellow senators. “The problem with that is that it further insulates us from the impact of the damage we do.
“I’m a small business owner, my wife and I,” he continued. ‘Every day we deal with the impact of high taxes, of over-regulation. I carry the scars every day when I walk into this chamber or do my job in the district of doing business here, operating a business here, just like others.
‘The farmers that we have in the Legislature, the people who are professionals, understand that. And the less people like that are in this chamber, the more out of touch this chamber will become.
However, Ryan disagreed and told him WGRZ that the external income cap is to ‘guarantee that state representatives are not influenced by potential conflicts of interest’.
Additionally, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she supports the idea of an increase for the Legislature, but has not said whether she will sign the bill.
You have 30 days to sign or veto it. If vetoed, it could still pass with a two-thirds vote.
Many Republicans criticized the idea, as many of the legislators’ own constituents have not received inflationary pay raises at their own jobs (pictured: Assemblyman Andy Goodell)
Gianaris, a Democrat, remained rigid throughout the session.
Many Republicans spoke at the session, including Republican Susan Serino (pictured)
Some government watchdog and transparency groups said after the bill was introduced Monday night that it doesn’t do enough to regulate outside revenue.
“The public really deserves to know that their elected officials are working only for them and have no other interest in mind,” said Rachael Fauss, senior policy adviser at government watchdog group Reinvent Albany.
Members of the US Congress, for example, are barred from generating outside income while in office in certain professions that could raise conflicts of interest, such as being a lawyer.
Outside income has raised ethical and legal issues for some of New York’s top lawmakers.
Former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver died in prison after being convicted of participating in a crooked arrangement in which he got a couple of real estate developers to send business to a law firm by paying referral fees and then backed legislation That benefited the developers.
New proposed salary of $142,000 will make New York lawmakers the highest-paid in the country, surpassing California’s $119,000
Still, many states have a tradition that lawmaking is a part-time job, rather than a profession, and have embraced the idea that a legislature should be made up of regular people with regular jobs outside of government.
‘When I campaigned, I heard over and over again from voters that we don’t want career politicians. That’s what this is going to create,’ said Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh, a Republican representing a district north of Albany.
Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, a Democrat, said the increase would help the Legislature retain quality members who could earn more in the private sector.
“We’ve had some unhealthy turmoil and turnover, particularly from downstate members,” he said.
New York lawmakers got his last raise in 2018. At the time, it was his first raise in 20 years.
That salary increase was made possible by a list of recommendations made by a state compensation committee, but a cap on outside earnings was never implemented.
“There’s a story in New York looking at pay increases for legislatures, but this is the first time they’ve taken matters into their own hands,” Fauss said.