WSMV Channel 4 TN lawmakers set for pay raise under Haslam plan

In some workplaces these days, asking for a raise is out of the question. That is, unless you work on Tennessee's Capitol Hill.

And although lawmakers aren't exactly raking in the dough when they work at the Capitol, they are in line for their second pay hike in two years.

Their yearly salary is $19,009 a year.

After all, it is a part-time job.

"This is a part-time legislature. We don't come here to make a living. We come here to serve the public and go back home and make a living," said Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville.

Last year, Gov. Bill Haslam gave state employees a 1.6 percent pay raise, their first since 2007. And this year, he wants to give them more.

"I am proposing a 2.5 percent pay raise in this year's budget," Haslam said.

But when state employees get a pay raise, so do state lawmakers.

Last year's 1.6 percent and this year's possible 2.5 percent increase will be averaged to give a raise that takes effect after the November elections.

While the exact total isn't known, it will likely be several hundred dollars per lawmaker.

Last year, State Rep. Kevin Brooks had a plan for lawmakers to refuse the raise. However, he didn't get enough support from his colleagues.

Brooks says he will bring the plan back this year.

But why are lawmakers so hesitant to give back a pay raise?

"We're not voting to give ourselves huge raises, and we don't want to do that. And just that gradual up is a fair way to address that issue," Harwell said.

Asked if she personally thought she should get a pay raise, Harwell said, "No, I do not."

Taxpayers like Lucy Watrous say the possible pay raise is an example of lawmakers being out of touch with the realities of their constituents.

"More and more of the government needs to learn what we know as homeowners and families to live within your means, and sometimes that means saying no to something you want," Watrous said.

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