DENVER – Colorado lawmakers are debating whether to give themselves and other elected officials a raise.
Senate Bill 288 was one of the last bills of the legislative session to be introduced, leaving some worried that the issue is too important to be fast-tracked.
It passed the Senate on Tuesday by a vote of 21-14, with seven Democrats and seven Republicans voting against the measure. The bill then quickly moved through the House, receiving initial approval Tuesday night. A final vote could come in the House on Wednesday, on the last day of the legislative session.
Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, supported the raise. She said she was encouraged to do so by several of her county officials, pointing to a lack of a competitive advantage in attracting talent.
“I heard for years now from ... pretty much everybody in elected office that they couldn’t find people who would take their place,” Roberts said. “I know they work really hard, and they are elected, so the voters get a chance to do their own selection process.”
The increased salaries would not kick in until 2019, so Roberts would not receive a raise because she will be term-limited then.
The bill would increase pay for executive elected officers, lawmakers and other officials. Lawmakers, the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer would receive salaries based on a percentage of certain judicial salaries, such as the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
The governor would receive a 30 percent pay increase, from $90,000 a year to about $117,000 a year; attorney general would get about $102,000 instead of $80,000; and other constitutional officers would receive about $88,000 compared with $68,500.
Lawmakers would see pay raises of around 27 percent, from $30,000 a year to about $38,000 a year. County officials would receive raises based on the size of a county and other formulas.
The elected officials targeted have not seen a raise in Colorado since 1999. Previous attempts in 2013 and 2014 failed at the Legislature to increase salaries.
Discussions have been taking place for years, as Colorado has some of the lowest salaries for constitutional office holders in the nation. The governor’s salary is the third lowest in the nation.
But Sen. Tim Neville, R-Littleton, said he does not believe officials have justified a raise.
“If we had better results in state government, I’d be more respectful of a raise for everybody,” Neville said. “I don’t think we’ve earned that increase.”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com