No Pay Raise For Oklahoma State Legislators

[Old Fart]

OKLAHOMA CITY -
Oklahoma state legislators -- who earn $38,400 annually plus benefits and expenses -- won't be getting a raise any time soon.

The Legislative Compensation Board voted 7-1 on Tuesday for the base pay, retirement and benefits package for Oklahoma's senators and House members to stay in place. Former Republican state Sen. Charles Ford of Tulsa was the lone dissenting vote. Ford urged the panel to consider hiking the base pay for legislators to $44,000 annually. The board meets every two years.

According to Oklahoma's Office of Management and Enterprise Services, Oklahoma ranks No. 16 in the nation for its salary and per diem reimbursement.

In addition to their base pay, state legislators receive a monthly health benefit allowance of $640.98 and an optional retirement benefit with eight years to vest.

http://www.news9.com/story/23694820/no-pay-raise-for-oklahoma-state-legislators

 

[BadgeBunny]

Good. I can't remember the last time state employees got a raise. There are DOC employees whose base salary is so low that qualify for food stamps ... The inmate trustees who are work programs even talk about how they wouldn't do the DOC guys' jobs for the pay they get and amount of crap they have to put up with -- both from inmates and the brass and admins. It's a travesty.

 

[Fyrtwuck]

My retirement is paid by the state retirement system. Last raise I got was in 2007.

 

[BadgeBunny]

I can't even remember the last time GC got a raise. We have nothing to complain about though. We live within our means and are not interested in impressing anyone. Life is much easier for us than some of his co-workers, who work 2 and 3 extra jobs because they want to keep up with the Joneses ...

Those state employees who are paid so little they qualify for assistance programs is just not right, though ...

 

[foghorn918]

Last State Employee raises were either 2004 or 2005, and took 14 months to fully implement, and been going backwards in take home pay ever since with healthcare costs rising.

 

[CODE_3]

What's a raise?

 

[Old Fart]

... because they want to keep up with the Joneses ...

Unfortunately these isn't only a state employee problem.

 

[BadgeBunny]

Unfortunately these isn't only a state employee problem.

Ahhhh ... 'tis true ... like you say, unfortunately ... Part of why our country is in the mess it's in now, I think ...