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Meeting for a special session in Albany on Thursday, Dec. 22, the legislature approved a bill that raises member pay by $32,000, bringing their total annual compensation to $142,000, beginning in 2023.
The final vote in the Senate was 33 to 23 in favor, and 81 to 52 in the Assembly, WRGB reports. Every Republican in the Assembly voted against the pay hike.
If the bill becomes law, it would also cap how much legislators can make in outside work at $35,000 per year, beginning in 2025.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat who represents the 83rd District, touted the move earlier this month in an interview with the New York Times.
“People don’t realize the sacrifice that (lawmakers) make being away from their families,” Heastie told the outlet. “I don’t think there’s enough money in the world that could compensate you for being away from your families.”
Not everyone is publicly celebrating the pay raise, however. Among those chiding the move is the Republican minority leader in the state Senate, Rob Ortt, who called the move “patently offensive to the people we represent.”
“It’s no secret that the high cost of living and violent crime are the top two issues for New Yorkers,” Ortt said in a statement.
“Yet, Albany’s one-party ruling class continues to put their own misplaced priorities first. This would make the Grinch blush. Taxpayers shouldn’t forget.”
The bill now heads to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk for final approval.
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