If you worked 13 years without a raise in pay, wouldn’t you quit your job? Well, maybe you wouldn’t if you didn’t work full-time—and you were elected to your job and not hired.
 |
This is the situation facing legislators in the state of Connecticut, who admitted to the Connecticut Mirror that the prospect of a raise is not high given the current economy.
Ironically, this year the legislature passed a law raising the minimum wage in the state to $10.10 per hour, the highest in the country at this time.
According to Pew Charitable Trust’s Stateline, pay to state legislators varies widely depending on if they serve full- or part-time. Stateline says California legislators come in on top at $91,526 per year, and those in New Hampshire come in at the bottom at $200 per term.
Connecticut legislators make $28,000 per year but are also provided with reimbursement for expenses ($5,500 for senators and $4,500 for representatives).
Legislator wages are primarily sensitive to frequency and duration of sessions mixed with the state citizens view of civil service. California legislature is full-time with a few breaks (similar to U.S. Congress), most others, like Indiana are P/T, and reflect the expectation that their representatives and senators will hold down “real” jobs and not be reliant upon the citizens. Pay scheme in Indiana is similar to Connecticut reflecting differences in cost of living.
I’d imagine that cost of living and state population would also be factors. I’m still waiting for pay-for-performance for legislators–especially federal.