LANSING – House Democrats today approved a 10 percent cut in the salaries of Michigan's lawmakers and other elected officials, and called on the Senate to do more to hold legislators accountable and share in the sacrifices being asked of the people of Michigan.
"In these tough economic times our hard-working Michigan families are making difficult sacrifices in their
households every day and lawmakers should be no different," said State Representative Jennifer Haase
(D-Richmond). "Legislators need to follow our residents' example and give back what we can to contribute to the well
being of our state."
House Democrats were the first to call for the pay cut back in February, by approving a resolution proposed by Haase that called on the State Officers Compensation Commission (SOCC), the body in charge of determining legislator salaries, to decrease lawmakers' salaries by 10 percent, as well as the salaries of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General and the Secretary of State. Earlier this month the SOCC voted to recommend a 10 percent pay cut for elected officials. The SOCC's recommendation went before the House and Senate for a full vote and was passed by each chamber to make it official.
House Democrats today called on the Senate to take action on an additional government reform package that recently passed the House, including plans to:
- Dock lawmakers' pay each time they miss a day of session with an unexcused absence.
- Prohibit legislators from becoming lobbyists for two years after leaving office, effectively ending the revolving door between lawmakers and lobbying firms.
- Require certain state officials and candidates for elected office to disclose their personal finances to the Bureau of Elections.
"Right now, when lawmakers miss work, the residents of Michigan pay the price," said State Representative Lisa Brown (D-West Bloomfield), who introduced the plan to reduce lawmakers' pay for missing work. "I urge the Senate to take action on these much-needed reforms and ensure that our government is working to move Michigan forward."