Legislators hiring staff, dishing out pay raises

But lawmakers themselves aren't getting salary boost

Published: Thursday, Feb. 24, 2005 8:03 p.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Utah legislators are not getting a pay raise this year, but they are hiring some new staff and giving some of their own employees pay raises above the cost-of-living raises allocated to all state workers.

Legislative leaders are suggesting that the Legislature itself get $550,000 more this year in one-time surpluses and $1 million more in fiscal 2005-2006.

House budget chairman Ron Bigelow, R-West Valley, said the Legislature is hiring two more attorneys for Legislative Research and General Counsel, one more auditor for the Legislative Office of Auditor General and one more fiscal analyst to help prepare the $8.6 billion state budget lawmakers are now considering.

"We want to stay a part-time Legislature," said Bigelow. "To do that, we have to make sure that when we are working up here, we have the staff support to let us do our work."

In addition, like other state departments this year, the Legislature should give some of their employees whose salaries are below the private/public market level appropriate pay raises.

For example, as part of the current budget negotiations with Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., lawmakers are looking at pumping $10.8 million into state worker salaries to get much-desired skilled workers closer to what they could earn in the private sector or in local government.

Story continues below

Finally, lawmakers have squirreled away — at least temporarily — $350,000 into their own budget for a special study that Huntsman wants on high-tech research.

Why is the $350,000 for the STAR plan (a Science, Technology and Research proposal for the University of Utah and Utah State University) in the Legislature's budget?

"Because we didn't know where else to put it," Bigelow said, adding that legislators aren't trying to keep it for themselves but only keeping it there until he further explains how he intends to spend it.

Preliminary budget proposals show $3 million for STAR next year, but those final votes haven't been taken, Bigelow noted.

Suggested by former Senate president Lane Beattie, now head of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, STAR would pay for five buildings at the U. and USU and begin a high-tech medical/computer research program modeled after research and development programs at other leading universities across the nation.

Huntsman wants STAR as part of his new economic development plans for Utah.


E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

previousnext

Latest comments

I love Millsap, and the Jazz will find a way to move Boozer and match for...

i think its childish to assume that somebody would actually want to get...

Millsap and Boozer need to stay in Utah. Millsap is Boozers backup while he...

Childish and immature? Its always easier being ignorant and presuming things...

can you use words like testimony and church leadership to critisize a...

Bro P really helped me through a tough time in my life when I had him in...

These are only allegations at present, but I hope when he goes to trial, the...

My thoughts are with the Pratt family right now. Michael I hope you are...

It is interesting that everyone who seems to be a member comments on how nice...

You presume, simply because they were gay, that they were trying to "stir...

Advertisements