Politics & Government

Daily Local: State Lawmakers Forego Raises

State Sen. Andrew Dinniman and other lawmakers will return their pay increases to the state treasury.

Local lawmakers have announced they will not accept an automatic cost-of-living pay increase, according to a recent report from the Daily Local News.

State Rep. Duane Milne and state Sen. Andrew Dinniman will each return the three percent increase to the state treasury.

According to the Daily Local, the legislators said it was inappropriate to accept the raise during times of economic hardship, when programs are being cut and many of their constituents are out of work:

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"It's a shared sacrifice and we (legislators) have to do our share, and that includes returning the cost of living raise," Milne said. "If every lawmaker in the state gave the raise back, we would save a half-million dollars. And that's not chump change."

The increase boosts the average state lawmaker's salary by $1,308 to $82,026, according to the article. Read the full story at the Daily Local News.

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