Committee recommends big raises for legislative staff

Tuesday, May 29, 2001 | 9:36 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The temporary staff members who serve the Legislature are in for some handsome raises.

In fact, for some who return every biennium, the increases could be more than 50 percent.

At the end of each session, the Legislature sets the salaries for the next session for the temporary staff such as clerks, secretaries, sergeant at arms and pages.

The Senate Finance Committee introduced Senate Bill 579 Monday with some new wrinkles in the pay scale.

Like state workers, the pay of temporary workers will go up 4 percent in each of the next two years. But a new benefit is being added. Workers will get an extra 5 percent raise for each regular session they worked previously. That would be limited to nine steps.

Workers also would be entitled to overtime. Employees currently get a set daily fee. For instance a sergeant at arms receives $105 for each of the 120 days of the session, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

The employees are hired temporarily for the session. A number are retired state workers who are entitled to draw their state retirement while working for the Legislature. Others are state workers who take a leave of absence from their jobs to work for the Legislature. They are guaranteed they can return to their former employment without losing seniority or other benefits.