NY lawmakers to get first pay raise in 20 years

New York lawmakers are poised to get their first pay raise in twenty years.

A state compensation committee on Thursday voted to increase legislative pay from $79,500 annually to $130,000.

The increase would be phased in over three years, beginning with a bump to $110,000 on New Year's Day.

With the increase, members of the New York Legislature will be the best paid state lawmakers in the country.

Many lawmakers say their compensation hasn't kept up with inflation and doesn't reflect the work they do outside of the six-month legislative session.

The four-member compensation committee was created to study the issue and render a decision.

Commission members also called on lawmakers to cap how much they can earn from outside jobs, often seen as a potential conduit for bribes.

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