An amendment to the introduced state budget, proposed by Senator Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, adds $2.1 million to the Legislative Department plan for the second year (fiscal year 2028). Explanation? This amendment provides $2.1 million GF the second year to increase the salary of the members of the General Assembly to $45,000 a year from current levels for all Senators and Delegates. This increase would be effective in January 2028, after the next election of the General Assembly.

Current salaries are $17,640 per annum for members of the House of Delegates and $18,000 per annum for State Senators. The discrepancy goes back to the early 1990s, when in a budget crunch former Governor Douglas Wilder proposed 2% pay cuts for state employees. The Republicans in the House of Delegates, then in a minority status close to where they are now, offered a floor amendment to reduce legislative salaries the same 2%. Enough House Democrats went along to put it into the budget.

And the final conference committee on the budget thought it was a fine idea — for House members — but restored the full $18,000 for Senators. Wilder, a former member of the Senate, didn’t object. The salary differential has remained the same for more than 30 years, while the other forms of legislative compensation (mileage, per diem, stipends for off-session meetings) have soared. Just who were the fiscally conservative House Republicans and their staff person who dreamed up that floor amendment? Lost in the fog of time. Ahem. My memory fades on who was executive director of the GOP caucus that year. (It probably has saved taxpayers about $1.25 million at $36,000 per year!). 

Be careful what you ask for? Isn’t that the phrase? — SDH