Perhaps the public spotlight shone on the Wisconsin Legislature's pay raises amid a state and national recession will change lawmakers' ways.
Last year, the Joint Committee on Employment Relations allowed 5.3 percent pay raises over two years to go. They took effect in January. As the public learned of this pay raise for lawmakers, while many people were suffering through job losses or pay freezes, anger grew. That led to a number of lawmakers - including Sens. Jon Erpenbach (D-Waunakee) and Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) and Rep. Steve Hilgenberg (D-Dodgeville) - to state they were going to return their pay raises. Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, said he was going to give his pay increase to local charities.
Instead of going through that charade, the legislative committee should have rejected the raises in the first place.
On Thursday, Democratic leaders signaled a lesson may have been learned. They're asking their colleagues to call on the committee to meet and consider freezing the 2 percent pay increase for legislators scheduled to take effect in January 2011.
"We believe that freezing legislator salaries would help demonstrate solidarity with our constituents, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet during the current economic downturn," Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, D-Janesville, and Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison, said in a letter to lawmakers and sent to the media.
With the state leaders debating how to bridge a $5.7 billion budget shortfall, and as their constituents are dealing with the hardships and angst the recession is causing, rejecting a pay raise is the least lawmakers can do. The committee should meet, and quickly, and get that job done.
Last year, the Joint Committee on Employment Relations allowed 5.3 percent pay raises over two years to go. They took effect in January. As the public learned of this pay raise for lawmakers, while many people were suffering through job losses or pay freezes, anger grew. That led to a number of lawmakers - including Sens. Jon Erpenbach (D-Waunakee) and Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) and Rep. Steve Hilgenberg (D-Dodgeville) - to state they were going to return their pay raises. Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, said he was going to give his pay increase to local charities.
Instead of going through that charade, the legislative committee should have rejected the raises in the first place.
On Thursday, Democratic leaders signaled a lesson may have been learned. They're asking their colleagues to call on the committee to meet and consider freezing the 2 percent pay increase for legislators scheduled to take effect in January 2011.
"We believe that freezing legislator salaries would help demonstrate solidarity with our constituents, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet during the current economic downturn," Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, D-Janesville, and Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison, said in a letter to lawmakers and sent to the media.
With the state leaders debating how to bridge a $5.7 billion budget shortfall, and as their constituents are dealing with the hardships and angst the recession is causing, rejecting a pay raise is the least lawmakers can do. The committee should meet, and quickly, and get that job done.
