Burnt Orange Report

Pay Raises in State Government

By Byron LaMasters

This article about pay raises in state government demonstrates the silliness of the current structure.

A provision in the proposed state budget would give the governor and other statewide officials a hefty salary increase. The governor "thinks it's a bad idea," a spokeswoman says.

Some lawmakers are offering Rick Perry a $35,000-a-year pay raise, but the Republican governor who two years ago demanded steep budget reductions at virtually all state agencies wants no part of it.

"He thinks it's a bad idea," said Perry press secretary Kathy Walt, referring to a provision in the Texas Senate's proposed budget that would boost the salaries of nearly all statewide elected officials by about 30 percent. "He didn't ask for it, and he does not expect it."

The Senate Finance Committee is poised to adopt its recommendations for the 2006-07 state budget next week. The document, expected to reach the Senate floor for a vote Wednesday, calls for giving statewide elected officials in the executive branch their first pay raise since 1997.

And those raises would be substantial.

The governor's annual salary would jump from $115,345 to $150,000. The attorney general, comptroller, agriculture commissioner, land commissioner and three railroad commissioners would see their pay rise from $92,217 to $125,000.

The lieutenant governor's pay would remain $600 a month because that office is part of the legislative branch of government. The lieutenant governor presides over the Senate and is paid the same as lawmakers, who are not in line for a raise.

Texas needs to join the 21st century and realize that it is not possible to run a mega-state with a part-time, underpaid legislature. We should be raising the pay of the legislature substantially, NOT the executive officers.