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Published Tuesday, December 14, 2010 in Opinion

Georgia lawmakers forgo pay increase

Editorial

Political experts agree that a refusal to turn away from Washington's big-spending "business as usual" policies killed the careers of dozens of members of Congress tossed out in November's midterm elections.

Closer to home, things are different. Instead of promising more spending on pet projects, members of the Georgia General Assembly just took a step towards assuring the state lives within its means. Including Georgia's lawmakers.

Economic times remain hard. Many Georgians have worked for two years or more without a pay raise. State employees, including teachers, have been furloughed to help balance the state budget. Now, elected officials are joining the crowd.

On Monday, Dec. 13, state lawmakers voted to cancel a scheduled pay increase for members of the General Assembly for at least a year. The unanimous vote by the Legislative Services Committee delays any cost of living increase until the end of 2011.

The vote took place in Athens, where lawmakers had gathered for a three-day conference to discuss the 2011 legislative session.

After the vote, Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston said the decision to cancel the automatic pay raise was "very appropriate."

Base annual salary for a member of the General Assembly is just over $17,000. Members also earn $173 per day when conducting official business. The scheduled raise would have increased lawmakers' salaries by 3 percent.

Members of the General Assembly were wise to forgo a pay raise when the budgets of so many Georgians are stretched to the limit.

The General Assembly's automatic pay raise will be considered again next year. Let's hope our state's elected leaders decide once again that pay raises for politicians can wait until Georgia's economy is headed up and its unemployment rate is headed down.

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