Legislators send pension increase back to committeeStaff and wire reports
Originally published 12:25 p.m., April 9, 2008
Updated 02:02 p.m., April 9, 2008 COLUMBIA — With little discussion, the House voted this morning 58-51 to send back to committee a bill that gives legislators and other state retirees an automatic 2 percent cost-of-living increase. Gov. Mark Sanford criticized legislators Tuesday after the House gave the proposal key approval. The governor called it a "backdoor pay increase." The vote of approval in the House came at the same time senators were dealing with a $240 million shortfall for this fiscal year and next. The Senate cut 2 percent pay increases for state employees from the proposed 2008-09 spending plan. New school buses as part of a 15-year replacement cycle were also axed in the Senate plan. Sanford commended the House on its vote Wednesday to send the bill back to committee. “As this bill goes back through the committee process, we believe the first order of business should be to strip out this legislative pay perk,” Sanford said in a statement. “While we still have a number of concerns about the rest of this bill as well, today’s vote showed that a majority in the House have enough respect for taxpayers to put the breaks on this terrible idea. “If this provision does, however, somehow survive the committee process again, we believe that at a minimum House members need to take a recorded vote on the matter so that taxpayers can hold them accountable for their actions.” |
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Comments
This article has 3 comment(s)
Posted by Thomas1776 on April 9, 2008 at 12:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Crooks in office.
Posted by PHiers on April 9, 2008 at 2:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
All you have to do is look through the Sunday newspaper classifieds to see there are literally hundreds of decent paying jobs available to anyone who has the educational background, the previous experience, can past a drug screening test, and/or has a valid driver’s license. Unfortunately, our state education system (including the universities and colleges) is not graduating enough young people to help fill these jobs. When more of these jobs are filled, then the state, county, and municipal financial coffers will have more money than they know what to do with. It’s hard to get tax money out of someone who can’t or won’t hold a job, doesn’t pay property taxes, or spends most of their money on illegal drugs. Unfortunately our state and local politicians haven’t figured out that they are indirectly responsible and the educrats haven’t figured out that they are directly responsible for the reduction in tax revenues. Funny thing, these folks are supposed to be so smart yet they haven’t figured out that having one of the highest highschool dropout rates might have a direct relationship to the reduction in tax revenues or the increase in welfare money being paid out.
Posted by griff895 on April 9, 2008 at 4:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So AGAIN, retirees that faithfully served and EARNED their retirement benefits take it in the neck!! There are many, many state retirees that devoted 25 or more years of their lives to serve others that cannot even get a SMALL cost of living raise - not even enough to cover the cost of living!
A large number of these retirees are former law enforcement, firefighters, EMS workers, etc. that put their lives on the line every day, and often for very low pay, to serve and protect the citizens of this state. Way to go, elected officials!!!!!