29 Percent Pay Raise worth $142,000 Annually Given to New York Lawmakers
A beautiful day is set to shine upon New York lawmakers as they passed a 29 percent pay raise in the new year. The members of the state Assembly and Senate would begin receiving $142,000 annually effective January 1 if Governor Kathy Hochul signs the bill into law. What’s great is that Hochul expressed her support for the proposed bill earlier this month.
With this raise New York state legislators would become the highest paid in the country earning more than twice what the average household earns in the state. The results which came from The Senate is 33 votes versus 23 votes to pass the bill just before 2:00 pm Thursday. 90 minutes later, the Assembly followed suit with an 81-52 vote.
According to a published post by Kiowa County Press, the votes were largely on partisan lines, with Democrats largely supporting the measure and Republicans opposing it.
A beautiful day is set to shine upon New York lawmakers as they passed a 29 percent pay raise in the new year. (Photo: Kiowa County Press)
A Self-Serving Act Which Stirred Heads and Enraged Objections From Oppositions
Lawmakers cannot vote for a pay raise that takes effect during their current term under New York’s constitution. But if they waited until after January 1 to pass it, the $32,000 hike wouldn’t have occurred until 2025.
GOP members objected to the timing of the move and questioned the act due to the fact, not that it was just before Christmas, but rather it was coming while they said many New Yorkers were struggling economically. In addition, the state’s gas tax holiday is set to expire at the end of the month.
Senate Deputy Minority Leader Andrew Lanza, R-Staten Island, stated that this is the worst time, the worst time, to tell our constituents to empty their pockets and tighten their belts even more.
Others objected to provisions that would cap outside income, which they said would prohibit people who own businesses or farms from being able to make more than $35,000. That provision, though, would not take effect until 2025, and the law would allow lawmakers to exceed that threshold for some exceptions.
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