Hasso Hering Commentary | Posted: Saturday, September 6, 2008 10:00 pm
"Are you kidding? No way!" That is bound to be the first reaction by the general public on the question of raising the pay of our state legislators. But we ought to consider going beyond that first jerk of the knee when the doctor's mallet hits it. We ought to consider what's involved.
First, what do Oregon lawmakers get paid now? A wire story in the mid-valley papers this week was slightly off on that score.
Lawmakers get a salary of $20,592. They also get per diem payments of $109 per day when the legislature is in session or when members attend committee meetings during the interim.
Doing the arithmetic, this yields total compensation of $40,212 during a year when the legislature meets for six months. During the off year the total is considerably less, depending on the committee schedule.
Senators and representatives get exactly the same amount. But the Senate president and the House speaker get double the base salary.
So, if you're from Klamath Falls or Coos Bay, can you afford to serve in the legislature if you don't have an ample outside income?
You need to have someplace to live in Salem for six months. But you also have to keep up your house at home, because you want to go back on weekends or on other occasions to meet with constituents - or just regain your bearings.
You also have to give up whatever other job you had before the voters picked you. For one thing, you can't be gone from work for six months or more every other year, or more often if annual sessions become the rule. For another, there's the little matter of self-dealing when you make laws and also have a job that may well be affected by the laws being made.
Let's remember another thing. Lawmaking in Oregon used to be a part-time job. Ah, the golden days of yesteryear! Those days are gone. Today's legislators are on duty 24-7 year-round - except when they can escape on vacation to some place where the cell phone networks don't reach. Anybody with a problem or question about a state agency can reach his legislator today, and e-mail makes it even easier.
So what we're talking about is a demanding, full-time job that requires a lot of work during the day and after hours as well.
The Public Commission on the Oregon Legislature wrestled with this issue for some time in 2006. One issue: Should Oregon ban lawmakers' hiring of family members to help make ends meet? Another: Should per-diem payments end after so many days to encourage shorter sessions?
In the end, the commission - I was one of its 30 members - punted and recommended that the pay be set by the Public Officials Compensation Commission. The 2007 legislature re-established that pay panel and asked for salary recommendations by the fall of 2008.
Now that commission is proposing to raise lawmakers' pay to $25,200 a year. It's a gesture in the right direction. It's still not a professional salary, but it's slightly more commensurate with the demands of the job. (hh)