Two pay raises for lawmakers over the next year are raising eyebrows
“The fact that legislators feel that they deserve a pay raise is really just unconscionable. You can truly call it morally repugnant, just absolutely awful. I think that change takes courage, and it’s disappointing to me that in this building, with so much happening, that legislators don’t have the courage to raise the bar for everyone else, but will take it for themselves.” — Rep. Jeanne Kapela (House District 5)
“It seems so unjust. I think it’s poor policy making in this time of economic crisis to be taking a pay raise when people who are making minimum wage have to work two or three jobs just to survive. I just think it’s unconscionable to take a raise when we have not been able to raise minimum wage.” — Rep. Amy Perruso (House District 46)
“I am frustrated when I look at the expediency with which the state has bailed out businesses, and we contrast that with the lack of action in helping workers on issues such as paid sick leave, family leave or minimum wage.” — Rep. Matt LoPresti (House District 41)
Rep. Richard Onishi, chairman of the House labor committee (House District 3) meanwhile says “I know there are advocates out there for the minimum wage but they have not really presented me with details on who exactly it’s going to benefit.”
