Legislator wants to stop legislative pay raise
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HARRISBURG -- Every Dec. 1, state legislators give themselves a pay raise called a "cost of living adjustment," but state Rep. Brad Roae, R-Crawford, is trying to stop this year's pay increase for members of the House.
"Many teachers and state workers agreed to a one-year pay freeze because of the state budget problems," he said in a statement today. "I think state representatives should lead by example and do the same thing. Social Security recipients went for several years without a COLA. I believe state representatives should have their incomes frozen."
A law passed in 1995 by the Legislature gives the 203 House members and 50 senators a cost of living adjustment, based on the inflation rate, every Dec. 1. Judges and members of the governor's administration receive one also. The COLA is usually in the range of 2 percent to 3 percent. The base pay for legislators is almost $80,000 a year.
His bill to skip this year's COLA is House Bill 1952. It affects only House members, not the Senate, judges or anyone in the executive branch.
First Published November 2, 2011 3:13 pm
