PRESIDENT and SPEAKER REJECT PROPOSAL FOR PAY RAISES


Senate President Mike Miller (D. Calvert, P.G.), left with House Speaker Mike Busch
 (D. Anne Arundel), right. 

ST. MARY'S TODAY photo

 ANNAPOLIS, MD -- (Jan. 6, 2009)   Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. and House Speaker Michael E. Busch issued the following statement yesterday, in response to the General Assembly Compensation Commission's proposal to increase lawmaker's salaries:

"Any legislative consideration of a pay raise at a time when we are preparing to make more than $1 billion in cuts to the State budget is inappropriate," said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. "The Commission was tasked with making an independent recommendation regarding compensation for the offices of Delegate and Senator, not for individual lawmakers. I appreciate their work, but we must stand with the citizens of Maryland who are working hard to make ends meet in these challenging times."

Under the State's constitution, the Commission is comprised of five citizens appointed by the Governor and four appointed by the legislative presiding officers, and does not include any members of the General Assembly.

 "I want to thank the General Assembly Compensation Commission for their hard work in developing today's recommendations. We have asked state employees and legislators to take furloughs, in order to keep people in the workplace," said Speaker Michael E. Busch. "Now is not the time to accept pay raises for legislators. We respectfully decline the salary recommendation of the Commission."

Pursuant to State law, the General Assembly Compensation Commission Joint Resolution must be introduced during the 2010 session and be rejected by a vote of both chambers of the legislature. A decision to reject the Commission's recommendation will apply to all four years of the next term, resulting in eight years without any pay raise for members of the legislature.