Posted on 11/08/2005 12:03:43 PM PST by Born Conservative
HARRISBURG — Just four months after lawmakers voted themselves a pay raise, they are poised to scrap the extra income to appease a disgruntled public and relentless negative press.
While the House and Senate still need to iron out language differences in their respective pay-raise repeal bills, both have approved such a repeal and it seems a certainty that the raises will be stripped in the days ahead.
The House voted Monday night to reject a Senate version of the pay raise repeal measure, sending the issue to a joint House and Senate conference committee. The sticking point between the House and Senate versions of the repeal bill centers on whether judicial raises can be stripped along with those given to lawmakers, the governor and other top state officials.
Several Northeastern Pennsylvania lawmakers who supported both the pay raise and its repeal say the negative fallout from the July 7 pay raise vote — a move that boosted legislative salaries by a range of 16 percent to 54 percent, depending on a lawmaker’s leadership rank — was distracting from other issues.
“It was taking away from the issues that matter the most … like property tax reform,” Rep. Jim Wansacz, D-Scott Township, said. He was among the 117 House members who initially supported the raise, then voted for its repeal.
“Yeah, I would say there was a consensus that it was distracting from the real business we’re trying to do,” echoed Rep. Todd Eachus, D-Butler Township, who also voted for both the raise and its repeal.
Rep. Ed Staback, D-Archbald, said he too backed the repeal because of the growing public
sentiment that the raise wasn’t warranted.
“I don’t think there’s any question that the pay raise measure just dominated the media’s attention, and it appeared that that was going to continue,” Mr. Staback said.
Rep. Gaynor Cawley, D-Scranton, another initial pay raise supporter who voted for its repeal, said he had an about-face for “probably the same reason everybody else did.”
“It’s obvious with what’s going on — health care isn’t affordable, the energy crisis — so obviously that had an awful lot to do with how the public feels,” Mr. Cawley said. “The message (from the public) was loud and clear.”
Critics of the raise say it was more than a mere distraction. It was a political fiasco that threatened some re-election bids, and that is what ultimately prompted lawmakers to undo the income boost they awarded themselves.
“I think they’re finally getting the message,” said Tim Potts, founder of a government reform group called Democracy Rising PA.
Russ Diamond, a Lebanon County political activist who spearheaded an effort to oust all incumbent lawmakers in next year’s elections, said the repeal vote is a half-hearted effort by lawmakers who were “caught with their hands in the cookie jar.”
“Now they’re telling us they’ll put the cookies back, but they stuffed a couple cookies in their pockets,” Mr. Diamond said.
Anti-pay-raise activists say even if the raise is scrapped, they want lawmakers to return the “unvouchered expenses” they have collected in recent months as a way to circumvent legal language that prohibits collecting a raise in the same legislative term in which it is approved.
Mr. Wansacz, Mr. Staback and Mr. Eachus say they haven’t yet decided whether their unvouchered expenses will be returned if the repeal becomes law.
Mr. Cawley, meanwhile, offers this advice to anyone who wants him to return his unvouchered expenses.
“Call Boscov’s and the credit card company,” he said.
Call Boscov’s and the credit card company, he said.
If that isn't arrogance, I don't know what is....
For those not from the area, Boscov's is a department store.
Arrogant PA Legislator Ping
Boscov's sucks.
That's OK. Today was election day. With any luck there will be two PA Supreme Court justices looking for a new job. The next election we'll be coming for the legislators. They shouldn't think that this late change of heart is going to make the citizens of the Commonwealth forgetful.
If those judges get the boot the level of arrogance will drop. If they don't it will rise.
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