Political Pay Still Controversial

Pay for politicians is always controversial and the House is struggling to decide whether you should be given a chance to look at the issue again.This issue was to be decided when voters approved creation of a special citizen’s salary commission. Representative Chuck Graham of Columbia proposes eliminating the requirement that the commission’s recommendations go into effect unless the legislature rejects them. Recommendations would then be subject to the budget process. He argues against an amendment to ask voters to repeal the salary commission altogether and once again have the legislature decide its own pay saying it would return Missouri to the days of having politicians decide a politician’s pay. But the author of the amendment, Representative Delbert Scott of Lowry City, sees it differently. He says doing away with the commission would end the practice of having a politician appoint a friend to raise his pay. The House has approved Scott’s amendment. Debate on the issue has been suspended.