House votes down officials' pay hikes

SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois House voted Wednesday to reject pay increases of $7,000 next year, citing a lagging economy and litany of unfinished business at the Capitol.

A state panel that sets officials' pay recently recommended cost-of-living adjustments as well as salary increases of 1 percent for lawmakers and 1.5 percent for judges and executive officers like the governor.

If approved, lawmakers could be making $73,000 to $100,000 a year by next summer.

But House members overwhelming said "no" to the raises, rejecting the recommendation 94-8. No suburban lawmakers voted to accept the increases.

State Rep. Fred Crespo said that before taking a raise, lawmakers need to take into account everyone else's struggles.

"People are concerned about homes, concerned about their jobs," the Hoffman Estates Democrat said. "People are tapping into their pensions to pay for their child's tuition."

Crespo and others in favor of rejecting the board's suggestions also pointed to other issues that should come first.

"I feel it is inexcusable that legislators are ready to accept a raise when the state can't make their school aid payments, can't make their Medicaid payments and we haven't yet been able to come up with a budget," said state Sen. Susan Garrett, a Lake Forest Democrat with a similar rejection proposal pending in the Senate. "Our job is to make sure we take care of the finances of the state of Illinois, first and foremost. That should be our priority, not to give ourselves raises."

However, some of the proposal's harshest critics came from fellow Democrats.

"I think I worked hard for it," said state Rep. Kevin McCarthy, an Orland Park Democrat. "I will gladly accept that money."

McCarthy also argued that starting a cycle of turning down 1 percent pay raises only builds up to see a larger salary hike at once, like last year's double-digit increases. He added that turning down judges' salary increases would be pointless, as they can and have overturned that action in the courts.

The House and Senate must approve the exact same version of the raise rejection or the increases automatically take effect.