If The Pay Stinks, Then Why Do They Serve?
Stateline.org reported yesterday on a study of state legislators’ pay, which showed their pay was declining when adjusted for inflation. For example, Stateline began by saying, “Legislators in Alabama, New Hampshire and Texas are paid the same today as when Gerald Ford was president in 1975.” More specifically, they wrote:
“In 28 states, state lawmakers’ salaries have declined when adjusted for inflation, according to a first-of-its-kind study of legislative pay from 1975 to 2005 by the nonprofit Council of State Government.
”In the 22 other states, elected representatives' paychecks surpassed inflation by as little as 0.8 percent in Missouri over the 30-year period, to as much as 745 percent in Idaho, where lawmakers earned $15,646 in 2005.”
The CSG study also looked “at other forms of compensation, such as per-diem, expense allowances and retirement benefits, but not other perks like car allowances.” However, Stateline.org did not report on this other compensation, but provided a handy chart of legislative pay in 2005. Nor did Stateline delve into possible reasons legislators continue serving.