Board: No changes to pay for lawmakers
Total annual compensation for most legislators is about $69,799 with the state’s 7% retirement contribution and other benefits. Current annual salary stays at $47,500 a year
For the first time in four years, Oklahoma legislators will not see a change in their pay.
The Legislative Compensation Board on Tuesday voted to maintain lawmakers’ current annual salary of $47,500.
Total annual compensation for most legislators is about $69,799 with the state’s 7% retirement contribution, benefits and per diem of $165 per day for the days the Oklahoma Legislature is in session, according to figures from the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
A majority of the compensation board shot down a proposal to boost extra stipends for some legislative leaders, including House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, and Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City.
Certain legislative leaders receive additional pay on top of their base salary due to extra responsibilities and greater workload.
Legislative pay, which is set by the board that meets every two years, has fluctuated in recent years.
In 2019, the board approved a 35% increase in legislators’ base salary, bringing it to where it currently stands as 15th-highest in the nation. California lawmakers, who make $114,877 annually, are the highest paid.
Jacob Smith, an administrator with Human Capital Management, told the board it was impossible to do an accurate state-to-state comparison of lawmakers’ total compensation, including per diem and benefits.
In 2017, the board cut legislative pay by 8.8% from $38,400 to $35,021. Many lawmakers saw the cut as punitive, but board members at the time said the cut reflected Oklahomans’ frustration with the Legislature amid a budget shortfall.
At the time, the board also cut extra pay for legislative leaders by the same 8.8%.
Citing that cut, which was never reversed, Legislative Compensation