Has the Washington Legislature Earned an 18 Percent Pay Raise?

The state Legislature is up for a raise. I know. With all the ridiculous and expensive overtime sessions, filing bills without names or content, the short notices for action with no time to testify, endless thirst for tax increases and on and on, I'm of the opinion they ought to willingly give back some of their current salary!

But the Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials disagrees and sees a "need" that has them looking for feedback on a plan to increase state legislator pay by nearly 18 percent!

What? 18 percent? Huh? Increase? By 18 percent? Wait, what?

Can this be right? You bet your bippy it is, but the insanity of a double-digit rewarding of bad behavior hasn't gone unnoticed by state Sen. John Braun, ranking Republican on the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The senator sent the commission a letter urging them to reconsider, saying there are “simply many greater and higher uses for taxpayer dollars than the proposed substantial raise for elected officials.”

The commission is considering an 8.8 percent raise for state legislators in 2019 followed by another increase by the same amount in 2020. That translates to an increase in lawmaker salaries from $48,731 in 2018 to $57,425 by 2020.

Maybe you want to share your thoughts on the pay raise plan with the commission?

Please do.