TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas is set to nearly double state legislators’ pay at the start of next year, making their compensation better than it is for their counterparts in a majority of states, including more populous ones like Georgia and Texas.
The increase is nearly $28,000 a year for rank-and-file legislators, boosting their total compensation from $30,000 to nearly $58,000, an increase of 93%. Legislative leaders get additional payments because of their duties, and the House speaker and Senate president are set to make more than $85,000 a year, up from $44,000.
The pay increase appeared to have bipartisan support, though lawmakers never voted directly on it. Instead, they set up a bipartisan pay commission last year, with its proposal taking effect unless both legislative chambers passed a resolution rejecting it by Wednesday. An effort to force a debate in the Senate failed last week, and there was no such move in the House.
Some Kansas legislators have complained for years that their annual compensation of $30,000 isn’t enough to live on year-round, while their duties as lawmakers cut into outside work or even prevent them from holding down other jobs. Supporters of the pay increase say it is likely to make the Legislature more diverse when it’s in danger of becoming mostly retirees and wealthy people.
“You might get a few more females,” said state Sen. Cindy Holscher, a Kansas City-area Democrat. “You might get a few more minorities. You might get a few more younger people.”
Alaska lawmakers’ salaries rose by 67% at the start of this year, from $50,400 to $84,000, also because legislators let a proposal from a pay commission stand. New Jersey legislators will see their pay increase in 2026, also by 67%, from $49,000 to $82,000. New York lawmakers received a 29% raise at the start of 2023, making their pay the highest in the nation at $142,000 a year.
Most states pay a salary and give their lawmakers extra money each day to cover expenses in session,…
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