‘We are here almost as volunteers’: Idaho considers increasing legislators’ salaries by more than 40%

(Idaho Statesman) — Lawmakers could receive pay raises of more than 40% next year under a plan discussed Thursday. But decision makers delayed a final vote on increases that would cost the state $1.5 million next year until the day after next month’s election.

The Citizens Committee on Legislative Compensation met at the Idaho Capitol to consider a proposed 43% pay increase for state legislators.

In fiscal year 2024, which began July 1, lawmakers, who work part-time, were paid $19,394, not including per diem. The new pay rate would take effect in December and would increase his salary to $37,801 next year, while eliminating some expense reimbursements.

Instead of setting pay rates with small increases each year, the committee appointed by Idaho’s governor and the Supreme Court on Thursday considered a proposal from the Legislature’s leadership that would tie lawmakers’ pay to 40% of the median family income in the state. state. The median annual household income in Idaho is $94,503, according to legislative staff.

In comparison, the salaries of most candidates elected to full-time state office They are in six figures. Idaho Lieutenant Governor Scott Bedke is the only exception and receives $52,990 in annual salary.

The Idaho Legislature’s new compensation package would also change the reimbursements lawmakers receive, according to the proposal. Currently, all lawmakers receive a $74 meal allowance each day, which would be eliminated as part of higher salaries. Lawmakers who live 50 miles or more from the Idaho Capitol (about 58% of the Legislature) also receive a $165 daily lodging allowance, which they would still receive under the new plan.

If approved, lawmakers would still be reimbursed for travel during the roughly three-month legislative session. Terri Kondeff, director of the Office of Legislative Services, said she expects all lawmakers to receive more money for their work than they do now, even without some of the current per diems.

The average increase in take-home pay (after taxes withheld) for lawmakers would be $6,466, under the proposal. That’s an average increase of 34%.

The pre-tax increase would be $11,376 for most lawmakers, or 43%.

Although legislators set wage rates for other state workers and officials, the The Idaho Constitution requires the citizens’ committee appointed to set legislators’ salary rates every two years. Thursday’s proposal. It came from leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties in both chambers.

In a presentation Thursday, Idaho House and Senate Republican leaders said they supported the pay increase because current rates are too low to attract a diverse group of candidates.

“We’re here almost as volunteers based on what we’re paid,” said Sen. Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise, whose Senate term will end Nov. 30. The veteran state senator lost his Republican primary race earlier this year. year.

While many lawmakers have historically been ranchers or farmers who may have more time on their hands during the winter, today’s lawmakers come from a broader set of professional backgrounds, he said. “All of us are getting a little old,” Winder told the committee.

“We want some gray hair, we want some experience, but we also want a next generation of people to be attracted to serving in the Legislature,” he said. “No young person that I know with a family can afford to leave a job and come (serve) for what is paid here.”

House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, echoed Winder’s comments to committee members.

“Today’s young people won’t be with us for long because they can’t afford to be in this building,” he said.

Committee delays vote

The committee went beyond its scheduled meeting time Thursday, as some members expressed concern that they did not have enough time to weigh the decision. While most members seemed to believe lawmakers deserve a significantly higher salary than they receive, some said they were concerned that a large percentage increase in one year could spark a public backlash.

After two hours of discussion, a vote to accept the salary package suggested by Legislature leaders ended in a 3-3 tie, so it did not pass.

“I’m distressed about approving such a big change in such a short period of time,” said committee member Bryan Mooney.

Another member, JoAnne Stringfield, said she also wasn’t sure if she supported the changes. She agreed that lawmakers have been significantly undercompensated for years, but she wasn’t sure the suggested increases were the right ones.

Stringfield said she has spent much of her career in human resources and wasn’t sure why legislative staff had chosen to set rates at 40% of household income, which is often two earners, versus the average salary, which she thought which would be compared more directly to a legislator’s income. The median annual income in Idaho in 2023 was $44,240, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Based on legislative staff conversations with lawmakers about their time commitments, Stringfield said the 40% threshold seemed arbitrary.

“If I’m the person who gets the call (from the public) because my name is on this committee, I’m going to have a hard time defending the use of the Idaho median household income and the 40% figure,” he said.

After a 4-1 vote to delay his decision, Dennis Johnson, chairman of the committee, decided to reconvene the group on the morning of November 6.

Origin of the new remuneration formula

Kondeff told committee members Thursday that “quite a few” lawmakers have called for a compensation review. He noted that, due to population growth, legislators now serve about 42% more constituents than they did 20 years ago, and that during that same period legislators have received a $4,200 increase in their salary.

Adjusted for inflation, Kondeff said, that equates to 25% less pay than lawmakers received in 2005.

Kondeff said legislative staff arrived at this pay increase based on a low estimate of lawmakers’ workload. Annual legislative sessions have an average duration of 88 days. Lawmakers also often have off-season responsibilities, such as meeting with constituents or writing laws.

In addition to the salary increase for all legislators, leaders of both chambers would receive a 50% increase in median family income. The second members of each chamber would obtain 44%.

Lawmakers cannot raise their salaries themselves, but they have the authority in Idaho to reject or reduce the salary plan the committee sets.

Committee members who were concerned about the appearance of giving lawmakers large raises in one year raised the possibility of spreading the increase over the next two years.

In response to that concern, Moyle suggested that in politics, it’s often better to just “rip off the Band-Aid.”

“The political ramifications happen and you get over it,” he said.