Legislative committee once again rejects recommended pay hikes

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers are poised to once again reject pay increases for themselves, top elected officials and judges.

The Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday voted 6-0 to reject recommendations of the Citizens' Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials and discussed doing away with the panel.

The commission in November recommended that statewide elected officials and legislators get a 5.8 percent pay increase in fiscal year 2004 and another 5.8 percent increase in fiscal year 2005.

Lawmakers refused to fund the pay raises recommended two years ago by the group and, with a projected budget shortfall of $1 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1, senators said there wouldn't be enough money to cover pay raises this year, either.

Lawmakers also are aware that state workers as a whole have not received raises the last two years.

"In my opinion, we should have never had this commission," said Sen. Chuck Gross, R-St. Charles, the measure's sponsor.

The measure now heads to the full Senate for debate, then would go to the House. Lawmakers have until Feb. 1 to reject the recommendations. Or they could simply leave the money out of the budget, which typically is completed in May.

"We might as well take care of it now. I don't think there's any question that we ought to reject it," said Senate Majority Leader Michael Gibbons, R-Kirkwood. "I think it sends a horrible message to state employees who haven't seen a pay raise in two years."

'A bad idea'

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, said he would file a bill asking voters to consider abolishing the commission.

"This should have never been done," said Kinder, who voted against the bill putting the creation of the commission before voters in 1994. "It's a bad idea whose time has never come, and it's time to put it out of its misery."

The commission is appointed by the governor, secretary of state and Supreme Court. It is intended to relieve lawmakers of controversial decisions about pay raises.

In recent years, lawmakers have ignored the panel's recommendations, and there have been renewed calls to abolish the group. Members of the commission have even suggested that voters look at the issue again.

Two years ago, voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have given the Legislature more ability to alter the commission's salary recommendations.

This time, the commission recommended pay increases for 603 state officials and judges.

Besides the proposed 5.8 percent increase for executive and legislative officials, the commission also recommended a $12,000 raise over two years for judges. For a Supreme Court judge, that would amount to a 4.65 percent increase. For an associate circuit judges, that would equal a 12.5 percent raise.

The commission also recommended that the daily expense allowance for legislators remain at $75.20 and that mileage reimbursements remain at 33.5 cents a mile.