LANSING – In a move to reform government and cut state spending, State Representative Harold Haugh (D-Roseville) on Wednesday voted in favor of a plan to cut lawmakers' pay by 10 percent.
"With our state in the midst of such grim conditions and our hard-working residents being forced to tighten their budgets, we as lawmakers must take action," said Haugh, who is serving his first term in the Michigan House. "This plan is a simple step, but one in the right direction toward cutting state spending and using our taxpayers' dollars more wisely."
The House overwhelming supported a resolution calling on the State Officers Compensation Commission (SOCC), the body in charge of determining legislator salaries, to decrease lawmakers' salaries by 10 percent as soon as possible. Of the nine states that have full-time Legislatures, Michigan lawmakers are the second-highest paid at $79,650 a year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
"Coming from a district where unemployment and foreclosures are higher than the state average, I felt voting yes on a pay decrease was the least I could do. This is an attempt to let my constituents know I understand things are bad and every single one of us must pitch in."
The plan also will cut the salaries of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General and the Secretary of State by 10 percent. The total cuts would save at least $1.2 million a year. The plan also urges the SOCC to ensure that elected officials' salary increases do not exceed the average increase in state employee pay.
"It's time Michigan's elected officials share in the burden our residents are facing," Haugh said. "As we continue to look at ways to cut our budget I pledge to put our residents' best interests. We are facing difficult times, and I will fight to ensure that our budget is not balanced on the backs of our hard-working families."