A call to raise the salary of New York state lawmakers was rejected Tuesday by a special commission charged with reviewing whether the $79,500-a-year salary should be increased for the first time in nearly two decades.
The state commission has been reviewing legislative salaries since earlier this year after several lawmakers broached the idea of a raise. Democratic Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, of the Bronx, spoke out on behalf of many lawmakers last month when he called a pay bump "long overdue."
But Tuesday the idea fell flat when Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's three appointees on the seven-member commission said they wouldn't support an increase, partly because no lawmaker spoke in favor of an increase at the commission's meetings.
"Those seeking increases have an obligation to make their case ... to the public they are elected to serve," said Fran Reiter, a Cuomo appointee on the New York State Special Commission on Legislative, Judicial and Executive Compensation. Reiter said Cuomo's appointees would be open to a pay hike - if lawmakers passed stronger ethics rules.
Although many legislators supported a pay raise, the prospects come at a politically touchy time after more than 30 lawmakers have left office facing allegations of criminal or ethical wrongdoing since 2000.
Their legislative pay, last increased in 1999, is the third highest in the nation.
Members appointed by the Legislature argued that the current salary hasn't kept up with the cost of living and prevents many New Yorkers from considering legislative service.
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Commissioner Roman Hedges, appointed by Heastie, said lawmakers have to serve their constituents year-round, not just during the six months they spend in Albany in session.
"It's only part of the job," he said. "We expect them to be available ... that's why we elect them."
Lawmakers could convene a lame-duck session before the year ends to vote on a pay raise or appoint a new commission to consider the question.
Cuomo has suggested that the public might be more supportive of a pay increase if lawmakers passed tough ethics reforms to prevent corruption or restricted lawmakers' outside incomes.
"You ask the people of this state 'Do you think the New York state Legislature should get a pay raise?' (and) people overwhelmingly say no," the governor told reporters Tuesday in Rochester. He noted that lawmakers are free to pass a pay raise for themselves during the legislative session.
"Let them stand up and say: 'We deserve a raise and I'm voting for a raise,'" the governor said.
Legislators have said Cuomo is using the pay question as leverage to force the Legislature to act as he would like.
Heastie and Republican Senate Leader John Flanagan released a joint statement, expressing their disappointment with the commission decision. They said any decision on a pay raise should be based "primarily on economic factors."
"It is unfortunate that the Governor's appointees ... once again felt the need to demand legislative action in exchange for an increase in compensation," they said.
