Quinn may have put higher paychecks back in play

SPRINGFIELD --A proposal that would have kept the lid on lawmakers' and other state officials' pay by wiping out this year's 2.7 percent cost-of-living increase was vetoed Friday by Gov. Pat Quinn.

The Chicago Democrat said such salary adjustments should be done away with in all future years, not just the current budget. He suggested lawmakers change the legislation to garner his approval.

The potential problem is that lawmakers aren't scheduled to take up the governor's vetoes until October. So while the General Assembly voted to do away with raises, and Quinn said there shouldn't be any - ever, the actual law putting a stop to the bigger paydays has now been rejected by Quinn.

It remained unclear Friday if Quinn's action would trigger higher paychecks for state officials in the meantime.

Lawmakers could accept Quinn's changes during the October session, or override the change and enact the original pay-raise prohibition. If they do nothing, the prohibition on the raises vanishes.

One suburban lawmaker who voted to do away with the raises feared Quinn's actions could "blow up in his face."

"Now he may have the exact opposite effect of what he wanted," said state Rep. Jack Franks, a Marengo Democrat.

Quinn's spokesman defended the timing of the action, saying the governor thought it was appropriate to get future raises stopped now.

Lawmakers' base pay is roughly $68,000 annually, but members collect thousands more by serving in leadership and running committees. The governor's pay is nearly $177,000, though Quinn has said he would not accept the $27,000 raise he got when he moved from the lower-paid lieutenant governor position to the governor's office following the impeachment and ouster of Rod Blagojevich earlier this year.