NY Legislators Pass Bill Increasing Pay to Highest in Country as Real Wages Fall for Everyday New Yorkers

The New York State Senate debates legislation in the Senate chamber on June 16, 2011 in Albany, New York. (Photo by Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images)

Legislators in New York voted on Thursday to increase their pay by $32,000 at a time when the state’s citizens are suffering from stagnant wages and decades-high inflation, making the lawmakers the highest-paid among peers across the United States.

The pay raise will push up the yearly salary for lawmakers from the current $110,000 to $142,000. The $110,000 salary was fixed in 2019. In the 20 years prior to that, lawmakers were paid $79,500 annually. The proposal was passed by the Senate with a vote of 33–23, and in the Assembly by a vote of 81–52.

The measure now needs to be signed by Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul to come into effect. The salary increase for legislators is expected to kick in on Jan. 1.

The pay raise makes New York lawmakers the highest-paid in the United States, pushing California legislators, who make $119,702 per annum, into the second spot.

In addition, New York lawmakers receive a 58.5 cent-per-mile reimbursement for work-related driving as well as $183 per diem for overnight stays in case they are working in Albany.

Lawmakers can only make $35,000 in outside income, which is equal to the amount that local government and state employees who collect state pensions are eligible to earn.

This provision will only come into effect on Jan. 1, 2025. Income from retirement, military services, and certain earnings from family businesses have been exempted.

Citizen Wages

The increase in lawmakers’ pay comes as the average New Yorker has seen his real wages fall. With the $32,000 increase, lawmakers’ salaries have risen by 29 percent since 2019.

The real median household income in New York fell from $76,149 in 2019 to $72,920 in 2021, according to data from the St. Louis Federal Reserve.

Given that the United States has seen a rapid rise in inflation over the last two years, the growth in inflation-adjusted earnings in New York in 2022 could be dismal. Monthly inflation across the country has remained above 7 percent for every single month this year.

Meanwhile, the New York State Legislative Workers United, a group representing Senate staffers from the state who have organized for improved work conditions, has criticized the lawmakers’ decision to raise their own pay while doing nothing about staff members.

“Any statements legislators make regarding the necessity of a legislative pay increase will be hard to stomach unless they are followed by matching statements and cost of living increases for legislative staff,” the group said in a Dec. 20 statement.

According to the group, there are staffers who only make $32,000 for the entire year—the same amount the salaries of lawmakers have been increased.

Debate Over Pay Raise

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, supported the pay increase for lawmakers, saying they deserve it due to the increased cost of living, according to AP.

“Legislators work hard, and we’re about to come into session in January to continue trying to do the best we can for families in the state of New York,” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) told reporters, according to Politico. “This is more of a timing issue.”

Most of the Democrats were supportive of the pay raise while Republicans opposed the move. During the Senate debate, Senator George Borrello (R-N.Y.) accused Democrat lawmakers of having misplaced priorities.

“Are we fixing criminal justice reforms? We’re not doing that. Are we fixing the unemployment insurance fund? It’s bankrupt. We’re not coming back to do that,” he said, according to the New York Post. “We’ve come back a couple days before Christmas to raise our salaries.”

Outgoing state Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick (D-N.Y.), who also voted against the pay raise, said that lawmakers raising their salaries at a time when the public is also feeling the pain of economic pressure “doesn’t feel right.”