A Texas lawmaker wants voters to decide whether legislators deserve a raise

Join The Transient, The Texas Tribune’s every day e-newsletter that retains readers in control on probably the most important Texas information.

Texas lawmakers are among the many lowest paid within the nation, however one state lawmaker is making an attempt to vary that by tying future legislators’ salaries to the median wage of a public college instructor.

The present median wage for academics is $58,887, whereas legislators make $7,200 a yr, a wage that hasn’t modified since 1975. By comparability, the common wage in Texas is $67,321.

In November, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made growing instructor pay one in every of his legislative priorities for the present session.

Many state legislators work different jobs once they aren’t in session for the reason that Legislature meets 140 days each different yr. The bulk work as attorneys or enterprise homeowners — together with state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, an lawyer.

“There are colleagues who consider [being a state legislator] must be half time, basically a volunteer place. I feel that was a noble sentiment, possibly 100 years in the past,” she stated. “What it means right now is that solely those that are independently rich or personal their very own enterprise can take off 5 to 6 months each two years from their work.”

Hinojosa recalled chatting with a gaggle of younger folks about being a state lawmaker and feeling like a “fraud” as a result of she is aware of that almost all Texans can’t afford to work for $7,200 a yr.

“There may be this old-school notion that we shouldn’t be paid a wage; it simply doesn’t work in 2023,” she added. “It didn’t really feel proper to maintain going round speaking to younger folks about how they too might develop as much as do what I do when there’s such a barrier.”

Hinojosa’s invoice would set legislators’ salaries equal to the median instructor wage and would solely apply to future state lawmakers’ salaries — present lawmakers would proceed to make $7,200 a yr. Her invoice was filed as an modification to the state structure; if handed by the Legislature, it will let Texans vote on the proposed modification.

Hinojosa stated she believes working as a state legislator is a full-time job as a result of it comes with year-round tasks.

“Simply because we’re not in session doesn’t imply [that] we’re not working,” she stated. “We take that interim time [between legislative sessions] to fulfill with constituents, meet with stakeholders, craft laws and do analysis on laws. This job is what you make it; for me it’s a full-time job.”

Sharon Navarro, a political science professor on the College of Texas at San Antonio, stated any try at elevating lawmakers’ pay faces challenges heading into subsequent yr’s elections

“That’s going to be a really tough promote to voters when you’ve inflation and other people hurting of their wallets,” she stated. “They don’t wish to learn about another person getting a increase.”

Texas isn’t the one state the place lawmakers are growing their pay. In New Mexico and Nebraska — which be part of Texas close to the underside of legislator salaries within the U.S. — lawmakers are also pushing for increased pay.

In New Mexico, the place lawmakers aren’t paid, legislators just lately tried to present themselves a wage, greater than 30 years after New Mexicans voted in opposition to the concept.

In the meantime, Nebraska lawmakers want to increase their $12,000 wage simply over a decade after voters there rejected a state constitutional modification to boost their pay.

Hinojosa stated lots of her colleagues within the Legislature oppose the concept of a wage improve as a result of they nonetheless consider serving within the Legislature must be a part-time place.

“We began the dialog. It would take time to get there,” she stated.

As a former president of the Austin Impartial College District college board, Hinojosa stated she thinks tying legislators’ pay to academics’ wage would open their eyes to the difficulties academics face.

“Hopefully, their private expertise with residing on a instructor’s wage will put them extra in contact with the spending constraints that our academics expertise,” she stated. “And maybe persuade them to do some higher by our academics.”

Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Lecturers, agreed.

“Having most [legislators] need to spend a month making an attempt to determine the way to make it on a median instructor wage — I feel [it] would assist give them a perspective of what it’s like,” he stated.

“It could be good to have these legislators go substitute in a college for a day or two,” he added. “I feel most of them would run kicking and screaming out of the colleges.”

The College of Texas at San Antonio has been a monetary supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan information group that’s funded partly by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Monetary supporters play no position within the Tribune’s journalism. Discover a full record of them right here.