A new interactive data graphic from the Pew Charitable Trust’s Stateline News Service shows a huge variance in how much state legislators earn across the country. In one stark comparison, California state lawmakers earn 910 times that of New Hampshire lawmakers. California pays its full-time legislators nearly $91,000 a year and New Hampshire pays its part-time members $100 a year, according to Stateline, which credits National Conference of State Legislators as its source for the salary data.
As a general rule, legislators who are considered full time earn more than those who are part time. And some are only paid on a per diem so they really don’t have a set annual salary, according to the data.
A Stateline article that accompanies the data graphic notes a few states have had significant political pushback when legislators vote to raise their pay. But it also states that in the last year nine states have increased pay for legislators via automatic increases (such as connecting raises to inflation) or actions from independent commissions authorized to consider raises. States vary greatly in whether they also pay a per diem for days when the legislature is in session (Connecticut does not pay a per diem) and how they handle various expenses.
In Connecticut, legislators receive a base salary of $28,000 a year (plus senators and representatives get $5,500 and $4,500 a year, respectively, in unvouchered expenses) and have not had a raise since 2001 (CGS § 2-8). They can also get reimbursement for certain vouchered expenses.
