It’s a tricky thing to give yourself a pay raise, especially when the people you have to persuade are the ones paying your salary! That’s exactly the situation for Nebraska state legislators. But it’s not a simple or clear cut issue, and there are good arguments on both sides.
Here are Five Fast Facts on raising the salary of Nebraska’s legislature:
- 🕐🧓 The Current Situation - Nebraska’s 49 lawmakers currently make $12k per year to serve their state (they’re one of the worst paid legislatures in the country). The last time they got a raise was 1988. Just to keep up with inflation, they should be making $30k now. And tight-rolling their jeans, just for old times’ sake.
- 🚫💲 The Blocker - This salary is a reason many people can’t serve. Most of the current group are retired or have a primary job that allows them to take significant time away (farmers, landlords, real estate agents, etc.). We wonder what that would be like…
- 👍 Supporters Say… - Supporters of pay raises say those few who can afford the job don’t represent the state’s citizens very well. Higher pay would bring in more folks like teachers or other “normal” Nebraskans who can identify better with the issues that affect their constituents. Better paid politicians also tend to miss fewer votes and favor “citizen interests” more than business interests. Doing the job one is paid to do? What a novel concept!
- 👎 Opponents Say… - Opponents of pay raises say this is public service done for the good of the state, not for personal financial gain. It’s designed to not be a career to avoid the same people being re-elected over and over. Also, studies from the last couple of decades suggest that higher pay won’t necessarily bring in those working class “normal” citizens, and even if it did they probably don’t have deep-pocketed donors who can fund their campaigns. Um, isn’t this a sign of a broken system? Shouldn’t we be talking about this, too?!
- 📜 What’s Next - To get a pay raise, there has to be a change to the state’s constitution, and that hasn’t happened in decades even though there have been several attempts. The voters always say no. Maybe they’re just really fond of the 80s!
🔥Bottom line: We think there’s merit to both sides of the argument. And really, it’s something that should see a lively debate in both the public square and around kitchen tables all around the state.
What do you think about pay raises for our legislators?
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