Sen. Keith Ingram of West Memphis has distributed a statement urging the public to write the independent citizens commission on elected officials pay raises and urge them not to increase current legislative pay.

He said, in part:

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Every member of the legislature knew what our salaries were when we decided to run for office, and it did not deter any of us from seeking office. Massive pay raises for legislators is particularly distressing at a time when our state has so many needs. Funding that will go to legislative salary increases could be better spent to improve pre-K programs and to strengthen probation, parole and community corrections. It could boost our economic development efforts.

The independent commission, created by Amendment 94 approved by voters in November, decided to recommend a pay increase for legislators from $15,869 to $39,000 and to $45,000 for House speaker and Senate president. The raise came with the understanding that legislators would give up an abusive practice of drawing monthly expenses — sometimes with a full accounting, but often in a payment to a sham private company created to make a payment to a spouse.

A public hearing will be held on the recommendations March 2, with the final decision to take effect March 13.

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Ingram’s  full statement follows:

To the surprise of many political observers, the people of Arkansas approved a constitutional amendment last November that created a new salary commission for legislators, judges and constitutional officers.

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The commission has recommended pay raises for elected officials, and in some cases the proposed salary increases are so dramatic as to cause concern. Legislators now earn $15,869 a year for carrying out their part-time duties at the Capitol. The Commission recommended raising their pay to $39,400 a year. The prospect of such large increases in legislative salaries is fostering a lot of conversation among the taxpayers who will foot the bill, and for that reason I want to share my thoughts.

The five member pay commission is officially known as the Independent Citizens Commission. When it held its first hearings in January I attended and testified. I shared with the commission my concerns about the future of our citizen legislature. Large increases in salaries, in combination with the changes created by fiscal sessions, will accelerate recent trends in Arkansas toward the formation of a full time legislature.
My concern about being governed by a full time legislature is that it means we run the risk of being governed by full time politicians. Arkansas is well served by our part time, citizen legislature. In my tenure at the Capitol my colleagues have included farmers and ranchers, bankers, small businessmen, insurance agents, teachers, superintendents, coaches, principals, dentists, physicians, pharmacists, engineers, retired state troopers, attorneys, accountants, railroad men, contractors and foresters.

If Arkansas continues its path toward a full time legislature, we will lose the real-life experience and common sense that has served our state so well since 1836. Our government will be run by professional politicians.
In all of my conversations with individuals who were thinking about running for the legislature, not one ever said that the salary was the reason they did not want to serve. The main reason they declined to run was the time commitment, which has been worsened by passage of a constitutional amendment that in 2010 initiated fiscal sessions in even-numbered years. The first couple of fiscal sessions were limited to budget matters, but legislative veterans realize that they’re gradually expanding into additional lengthy regular sessions.
I shared these concerns with the commission. While I believe that the salaries of the governor and the attorney general certainly deserve a thorough review, because they certainly have full time jobs, I urged them to keep legislative salaries at current levels.

Every member of the legislature knew what our salaries were when we decided to run for office, and it did not deter any of us from seeking office. Massive pay raises for legislators is particularly distressing at a time when our state has so many needs. Funding that will go to legislative salary increases could be better spent to improve pre-K programs and to strengthen probation, parole and community corrections. It could boost our economic development efforts.

The fear of creating a class of professional politicians was one of my motivations in filing legislation to abolish the fiscal session. Arkansas has never needed a full time legislature and we certainly don’t need one now. We deserve better.

I urge my constituents to make their opinions known to the commission, before a final decision is made. The pay commission will hold a public hearing on March 2 at 10 a.m. at the U of A System Administration Office in Cammack Village in Little Rock, at 2404 N. University, Little Rock, 72207.

You can submit written comments to the Independent Citizens Commission c/o Office of the State Auditor, State Capitol, Little Rock, AR 72201. Or you can submit them via email to this address: info@citizenscommission.ar.gov