BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) Albany Democrats have introduced a bill to raise state lawmakers pay by $32,000 per year in a special session expected to take place on Thursday.
With the pay bump, legislator salaries would go from $110,000 to $142,000 per year, making them the highest paid state lawmakers in the nation.
"I personally could survive my life without that," said Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes on WBEN Wednesday. "But there are 150 members of the legislature and for some of them this is very challenging, especially in the city [New York City]. Peoples-Stokes indicated that she supports the pay raise.
"New York is the only state that makes its elected officials barter and beg for opportunities to have their incomes increased for doing their job. I'm not going to apologize for people who want to increase their salaries," she said.
The proposal also includes new limits on how much lawmakers can earn outside of their jobs as elected officials. Lawmakers will face a $35,000 per year limit on outside income, starting in 2025.
"The only problem I have with the bill is that it is not attached to the cost of living," said Stokes. "We can quibble all day long about this. But for one thing, I think the process for legislators getting access to an increase is all wrong.
And two, it's too political. If everybody's income was attached to politics, we would not be in a good place as a society."
Lawmakers plan to return to the Capital for a special session on Thursday and there are calls for action to extend the gas tax holiday into the new year.
The state's gas tax holiday went into place on June 1. The state suspended the sales and excise taxes on each gallon of gas through the end of this year. Many counties also followed the state's lead and dropped the county portion of the gas tax.
Peoples-Stokes told WBEN the gas tax suspension is not something that will be considered during the special session.
"I like the way gas prices have been descending of late, but I still think the gas tax suspension should be extended. I suspect it will be one of the first things we do in January."
The state legislative session is typically between January and June.
