LITTLE ROCK — State constitutional officers and legislators won’t be getting any raises next year under an appropriation bill that cleared a top committee Wednesday.
But judges and prosecutors would receive a 1.8 percent pay increase, which is the same that would be given to state employees under Gov. Mike Beebe’s proposed fiscal 2012 budget.
“Politically, we get hammered if we get a raise,” said Sen. Percy Malone, D-Arkadelphia, speaking of legislators.
This would be the second year that such elected officials received no raises.
The Joint Budget Committee recommended House Bill 1063, which sets salaries for state elected officials. It next goes to the House.
There were no votes in opposition but some legislators said they were concerned that the bill sets a bad precedent.
Sen. Jim Luker, D-Wynne, said he didn’t need a raise but worried that the “forfeit” of the raises would hurt future legislators.
Rep. Donna Hutchinson, R-Bella Vista, said legislators “need to look at the world our constituents live in” because many of them aren’t getting raises.
Kim Arnall, assistant director of the Bureau of Legislative Research, said there wasn’t a motion during the fall budget hearings to give a raise to legislators and constitutional officers so no raise was placed in the appropriation bill.
Rep. Hank Wilkins, D-Pine Bluff, who was a co-chairman of the budget committee during its hearings in the fall, said legislators “took the easy way out” by giving no raises to themselves.
“Most legislators don’t want to take it on the chin by saying they asked for raises for themselves,” Wilkins said.
He said that if legislators were going to be consistent they probably should have voted for raises.
“But the reality is that most [legislators] don’t want to have to go home and try to justify that,” Wilkins said.
He said he hasn’t heard any complaints from constitutional officers who want a raise.
“They are in a similar boat,” Wilkins said. “They don’t want to have to justify it.”
The constitutional officers are the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and land commissioner.
Wilkins said judges and prosecutors deserve the raise because they have large caseloads and are working hard and are expecting a raise.
“They’ve got a big job and it’s tough,” he said.
Under HB1063 officials would get these salaries in fiscal 2012, which starts July 1:
Governor - $86,890
Lieutenant governor - $41,896
Secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, land commissioner - $54,305 Attorney general - $72,408
Chief justice - $159,782 Associate justice - $147,905
Court of Appeals chief judge - $145,628
Court of Appeals judges - $143,350
Circuit judges - $138,791
District judges - $124,082
Prosecuting attorney, Division A - $121,776
Prosecuting attorney, Division B - $101,898
House speaker, Senate president pro tempore- $17,771
Senators, House members - $15,869
Division A prosecutors are full-time prosecutors but Division B prosecutors may have a private law practice on the side.
Sen. Gilbert Baker, R-Conway, co-chairman of the Budget Committee, pointed to the economy as the reason not to give raises.
“It’s just not a good time for raises,” Baker said. “Folks are struggling. There was strong consensus that we forgo even a modest cost-of-living increase.”
He said the raises for judges and prosecutors are justified because “they deal with law-enforcement issues.”
Chief Justice Jim Hannah said, “We know these are difficult, lean times and we appreciate the support shown by the governor and Legislature in recommending the increase.”
Lt. Gov. Mark Darr, a Republican, said he was OK with getting no raise.
“We should give no increases whatsoever for anybody until our unemployment lowers,” Darr said.
Auditor Charlie Daniels “honestly doesn’t have an opinion on it. No comment,”said Daniels spokesman Janet Harris.
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is OK with the lack of a raise, said spokesman Aaron Sadler.
“I asked for another term in this job because I love it, not because of the money,” McDaniel said.
Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said the governor views the committee action on HB1063 “an appropriately and fiscally wise move.”
During the 2010 fiscal session, the Legislature approved no raises for any state elected officials, including prosecutors and judges, for fiscal 2011.
Beebe, a Democrat, will continue to forgo the cost of-living raise approved for elected officials during the 2009 session, DeCample said.
Beebe announced in November that his proposed $4.59 billion general revenue budget for fiscal 2012 includes a 1.8 percent cost-of-living increase for state employees.He said they “deserve it.”
Raises for most state employees weren’t given for the first half of fiscal 2011, but Beebe announced in December that he was reinstating them at 2 percent. The governor cited good revenue collections to justify his decision.
Under Amendment 70 to the Arkansas Constitution, the salaries may be increased annually by an amount not to exceed the average percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers or its successor, published by the U.S. Department of Labor, for the two years immediately preceding the year of the salary appropriation.
Luker asked that legislative staff research whether when the economy improves and future legislators get cost-ofliving raises those legislators could also get the cost-of-living raises not included in the bill this year.
Malone said he agreed with Luker but doubted the constitution would allow raises not given this year to be given in the future.
In other legislative business Wednesday, the Senate voted not to meet Monday because of the Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday and Robert E. Lee’s Birthday holiday.
In the House, lawmakers who missed the House swearing-in ceremony Monday were sworn in.
Hannah read the oath of office to Reps. Larry Cowling, D-Foreman; Prissy Hickerson, R-Texarkana; Allen Kerr, R- Little Rock; Bryan King R-Berryville; Bubba Powers, D-Hope; Mary Lou Slinkard, R-Gravette; Fred Smith, D-Crawfordsville; and Jon Woods, R-Springdale.
Information for this article was contributed by Sarah D. Wire of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 01/13/2011