Paperwork giving state lawmakers an 11 percent pay hike was turned in Tuesday.
Now the question is whether anyone will try to stop it.
The Washington Citizens Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials Tuesday filed its final schedule of salary changes for lawmakers, judges, the governor and other statewide executives with the Secretary of State’s Office. The panel adopted the changes May 13.
Lawmakers, whose last pay hike came in 2008, will receive an 8 percent increase Sept. 1 and another 3 percent in September 2016. This will boost their annual pay from $42,106 to $46,839.
Leaders of the four caucuses earn more due to their added responsibilities. The Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader will make $55,738 while the House and Senate minority leaders will see their earnings rise to $51,288.
Commissioners also agreed to give 4 percent raises to the governor, secretary of state, attorney general and auditor, 5 percent to the superintendent of public instruction and lieutenant governor, 6 percent to the insurance commissioner, 7 percent to the commissioner of public lands and 12 percent to the treasurer.
However, the state constitution provides voters a chance to overturn the commission action by referendum.
A voter would need to gather and submit 123,186 valid signatures of registered Washington voters by Aug. 17 to make the November ballot. It is suggested a sponsor turn in at least 155,000 to cover duplicate and invalid signatures that will be tossed out.
As of Tuesday afternoon, no one had begun the process, according to a spokesman for the Secretary of State’s Office.
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