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Thursday, April 12, 2007

Ind. Gov't. - "They deserve a raise, even if it's not perfect"

An editorial in the Indianapolis Star today is headlined "They deserve a raise, even if it's not perfect" The article begins by stating the General Assembly deserves a raise, and concludes:

Lawmakers' base pay would increase in 2009 to $20,700 a year. That's not an unreasonable sum by any standard, especially in light of the cutback in benefits.

The biggest downside of the legislation is that it would tie lawmakers' salaries to judges' compensation. Legislators would make 18 percent of what the state's judges earn and would be guaranteed a pay raise every time the judiciary's salaries increased. That provision should be enough to give the governor pause about whether to veto the bill. [ILB - Recall that 2 members of the Supreme Court has "blessed" the pay raise bill.]

Ultimately, however, the advantages of the bill -- bringing legislative salaries into the current century, scaling back perks -- outweigh the negative.

Sure, the General Assembly can be and often is a frustrating lot. The position of state legislators, however, merits reasonable compensation. SB 401 accomplishes that while erasing a couple of over-the-top benefits. It's a solid deal for taxpayers.

The ILB hasn't seen other local editorials either endorsing or condeming the legislative pay raise, and was disappointed that there were no stories in the press that looked at the pay bill, and the policy issues it raises, in detail.

The ILB did run across this story in a Michigan paper last month. Recall that Michigan legislative salaries were held up in Indiana as examples of what our sister states were paying legislators -- see "Could this be a coincidence?" from Nov. 26, 2006 and Nov. 28, 2006. Titled "Legislature can begin cutting close to home," the piece in the Port Huron Times Herald from March 18, 2007 opines:

Legislative leaders are looking for places to cut spending. They could do worse than to start with themselves.

The base pay for Michigan's 148 legislators is $79,650 a year. California is the only state that pays more. Indeed, 40 states pay their lawmakers less than half as much.

Shortly before term limits took effect in 2002, Michigan lawmakers voted themselves pay raises of nearly 40%. This added about $15,000 a year to the pensions of all those legislators who were being swept from office. Since their pension plan also includes automatic increases of 4% per year, this was quite a sweetener.

Lawmakers who serve six years in Lansing get another sweet deal - lifetime health benefits.

One is left with the impression that the legislative branch has taken care of nothing as well as it has taken care of itself.

Whether Michigan needs a full-time Legislature is a legitimate question. Believe it or not, 41 other states manage to make due with part-time legislatures.

Nebraska, as one example, functions well with a nonpartisan, unicameral legislature - meaning it has only one chamber. Kentucky's General Assembly, by law, can meet only 90 days every two years. Lawmakers in Indiana are paid $11,600 a year - and they haven't had a raise since 1985.

Michigan could save millions by returning to a part-time, modestly paid Legislature with 60-day sessions. This would require amending the constitution, but the mere act of putting the question on the ballot would give people a sense the Legislature is serious about righting the ship.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 12, 2007 02:10 PM
Posted to Indiana Government