92 percent pay boost proposed

Thursday, March 18, 1999 | 11:13 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- State legislators haven't had a pay increase since 1987, but a bill introduced in the Assembly Wednesday would boost their salaries by 92 percent.

Assembly Bill 600, sponsored by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, raises the salary of $7,800 per session to $15,000 effective in 2001. In addition, the salary would be tied to an annual cost-of-living raise.

The bill, proposed last year by the Nevada Taxpayers Association and some other lobbyists, would for the first time give lawmakers a $100-a-month expense allowance during the off-session months to pay for telephone, travel, postage and other costs associated with legislative business.

Lawmakers now earn $130 a day and that would rise to $250. Legislators are only paid for the first 60 days of the session.

Bills to raise the pay of lawmakers have been introduced in past years but have always died, partly because some legislators fear a voter backlash.

Assemblyman Morse Arberry, D-Las Vegas, said, "I think everybody will like this bill." He stressed the increase would not go into effect until the next session for all Assembly members who run for election and for those senators who are on the ballot next election. Those senators elected last November would have to wait four years before they could draw the higher pay.

"I know they (lawmakers) shy away from this, but I think this body is realizing that we can't continue going down the path we have been going," Arberry said. "There are a lot of good people who would like to serve in the Legislature, and they will not serve because they have either young families or their jobs do not allow them to come up here because of the income.

"At least this will be something; even if it's not for us, it will benefit the people down the road."