Legislative Pay Raises, Part II

I finally finished my closer look at the legislative pay raise proposal. The analysis I mentioned earlier had included DC and U.S. territories as well as states (Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands pay their lawmakers $60,000 and $65,000 a year, respectively, according to NCSL).

Compared to other states, West Virginia now ranks 30th for overall legislative pay. Among states with a part-time Legislature with a similar schedule and workload, it ranks third but would lead that pack by nearly $10,000 a year under the pay raise proposal. Even among full-time legislatures, the new salaries would rank 20th.

Neighboring Pennsylvania offers a cautionary tale of public backlash over legislative pay hikes. Some of our lawmakers likely remember the mighty tumult caused by the 1994 raise. I also try to point out that with teachers and others already in line for pay raises, the Legislature would reap the whirlwind were it to vote itself a salary hike and leave these (large) constituent groups unsatisfied.

But, as I noted before, we've got weeks to go yet.