SPRINGFIELD - In an attempt to prevent automatic pay raises from taking effect, Representative Avery Bourne (R-Raymond) sponsored House Bill 6584. The bill would prevent legislators from receiving their automatic 1.7% cost of living adjustment (COLA) for the Fiscal Year, a savings of $209,000.
Additionally, this bill would freeze per diem and mileage reimbursement rates for another year for members of the General Assembly.
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“The state needs to live within its means and that starts with us. We cannot afford to give our elected officials a pay raise,” said Bourne.
Court decisions and a 2014 law made legislative salaries and COLAs automatic with or without a budget. The General Assembly has voted to eliminate the annual COLA’s for legislators for the past seven years and Representative Bourne expects the increase to be voted down again this year.
