5 back legislative raise to $25,000

Group leaves per diem rules

LITTLE ROCK -- A week away from their deadline, members of the citizen group responsible for setting salaries for elected officials signaled their support for a substantial pay raise for state lawmakers.

On Monday, five of the seven members of the Independent Citizens Commission agreed that raising legislators' base pay from $15,869 to $25,000, as well as a $30,000 salary for the speaker of the House and Senate president pro tempore, seemed appropriate.

The commission, created by the passage of Issue 3 and tasked with setting pay for legislators, judges and constitutional officers, has until Feb. 2 to make any recommendations that would change current pay rates by more than 15 percent.

The figures, first floated by Stephen Tipton at a Jan. 16 meeting, gained the support of four of the six other commission members.

On Monday, only the group's chairman, Larry Ross, and vice chairman, Chuck Banks, held differently.

Ross said he still preferred a smaller raise that would give legislators a $19,050 base salary and pay chamber leaders Rep. Jeremy Gillam, R-Judsonia, and Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, both $21, 325.

Currently, Gillam and Dismang both earn $17,771.

Unlike Ross, Banks said he was more flexible but didn't indicate he had given up on his proposal, which would nearly triple pay for legislators to $45,000 and give chamber leaders $55,000 a year.

"I don't have another number today. That doesn't mean I'm fixed on the number I had last [meeting]," Banks said. "I'm all ears. I'm listening."

Salaries for constitutional officers, as well as state circuit and appellate judges, will be discussed over the next four days at the group's public meetings.

Monday's meeting also led the commission to shy away from making recommendations to change the way legislators earn their per diem.

Unlike salaries, the commission has no authority on per diem, mileage or other legislative expenses but is expected to make recommendations to the Legislature.

In the past, legislators received per diem for every day of the week the Legislature was in session. This year, they only receive the $150 per diem for five days of the week during the session.

Before Monday's meeting, the commission toyed with the idea of only paying legislators for days the Legislature was "gaveled in" and not to give per diem on days such as Friday when neither chamber convened.

Gillam warned the commission reducing per diem could alienate representatives in more rural areas, which he said was "the last thing" the commission would want to do.

He also said another idea mentioned by the commission, to only give per diem during interim committee meetings to those assigned to the committee, could also stifle effective member education.

"We don't want to disenfranchise [legislators] by disincentivizing participation," Gillam said.

Dismang cautioned the commission against reducing per diem and pointed out there was plenty of work being done Friday even though neither chamber gaveled in.

"There were plenty of of legislators here that Friday that were working," Dismang said. "We are working very much, even on the days off to try and prepare and get ready for session."

The commission will meet again today to discuss salaries for the seven constitutional office holders. They will finish the week with discussions on salaries for state judges.

NW News on 01/27/2015

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