Friday, August 7, 2009

Some Legislators Get Paid Before State Employees

State employees are still waiting for paychecks authorized by this week’s bridge budget, but Pennsylvania House Democrats are already cashing theirs. The House Democrats are defending their decision to issue paychecks for members before state employees received their July salaries. The House passed Senate Bill 850 on Tuesday. The same day, even before Governor Ed Rendell signed the scaled-down bridge budget to pay state employees and keep critical government functions operating, Democrats were paid out of a special reserve fund.
Caucus spokesman Brett Marcy says that’s the timeline lawmakers from both parties agreed to when the budget impasse began.

"We agreed and decided collectively, all four caucuses, that it was not right for our members to collect paychecks while state workers were not collecting theirs. We made the decision back then that once we pass a budget that gets state workers paid, then members would also get paid. And that’s exactly what happened this week."

Marcy said Republicans are only continuing to go without pay to score political points, though House GOP Leader Sam Smith rejects that argument.

"I think they made a bad decision. It was insensitive. I don’t think it was—they just made a stupid choice and now they want to try to blame it on somebody else."

But Senate Republican and Democratic leaders aren’t going to pay members until state employees receive paychecks.
Governor Rendell vetoed funding for the legislature, so all four caucuses are operating on reserve funding they’ve stored away.

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