Even Legislators Nervous Over Salary Commission’s Recommendations For Pay

Many lawmakers in Arkansas woke up Nov. 5 amazed at the voting public’s take on the five proposed state Constitutional Amendments.

Few veteran political sages thought that Referred Act No. 3, the term limits and ethics collaboration, would be approved. But it was approved. State lobbyists are scrambling to abide by and live within the new rules.

This past week a single school PTA in the Little Rock School District passed out packets of crayons to a legislative committee. It was as a symbol of needing more pre-school funding. Those small boxes of crayons, meant as symbolic gifts or trinkets, to enforce their viewpoint – may have violated the new ethics rules.

Wow. A violation over a box of crayons? Yes. Can a lobbyist buy a legislator a cup of coffee? No. What’s next? Well, that was the whole point of the ethics and term limits Constitutional Amendment now wasn’t it?

But it gets even more complicated.

Now the legislators, those currently in office, who literally gained a full 10 years in additional terms in office, are nervous.

The jittery nerves aren’t over the extended term limits.

It is about what their future pay might be.

No longer will the state Legislature have to hold its nose to enact a pay raise for themselves. Now an independently appointed commission will raise their pay

That’s why lawmakers are a little bit nervous.

Never when seeking a state House seat or state Senate seat, do you hear the lawmakers talk about that low salary? It is just a little over $15,000 a year. Every legislator talks about the sacrifice they are making to take time off their fulltime job to go down to Little Rock.

Even those who are retired seem to grouse rather quietly about the legislative pay.

The appointment of the independent salary commission to levy the pay of constitutional officers, legislators and judges must take place in early December.

Those on the commission will come from appointments, two each by the governor, Senate president pro tem and House speaker and one by the chief justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court. This group will review current pay and (by February) or in 90 days suggest adjustments.

What will the commission suggest?

That is what has some lawmakers nervous.

Bumping the legislative pay to say $35,000 or $40,000, will not only “draw” more people to run for the seats, if mixed with the standard $136 a day per diem for the Legislative Sessions and committee meetings spread throughout the year, it will raise the total pay upwards to $55,000 to $65,000. And some even higher. Wow. Though in future years pay raises will be limited to 15 percent — and pay in some cases can be cut, too — there is NO LIMIT on the first round of recommendations from this independent salary commission.

The money for these raises will not be appropriated by the legislature, but come off the top of the constitutional officer’s fund. Thus, no legislator can be blamed for a whopping huge pay raise provided by an “independent” commission.

This group also can make recommendations on per diem and expenses. They might set the pay and then do away with per diem and even mileage, though this is doubtful.

What can the people do? Very little.

The people can grouse all they want. They can do nothing, except pass another constitutional amendment correcting this Issue 3 crisis.

But doing that, getting another Constitutional Amendment on the ballot in future years, was made even harder.

You see voters approved another Constitutional Amendment on signature provisions to gain access to the ballot this year.

Remember a majority of Arkansans voted for it.

Maylon Rice