The state Senate has voted mostly along party lines in favor of Republicans’ $30 billion budget bill.
The Senate budget proposes raises of 2.5 percent for state employees. But it offers a much bigger raise to the governor: A 20 percent raise, bringing his total pay to nearly $200,000 a year.
It’s an odd move for the GOP given that the current governor is a Democrat. Other statewide elected officials, including the lieutenant governor, attorney general and state treasurer, would also get bigger raises than most state workers. They’d get raises of 7.5 percent next year.
Senate leader Phil Berger defended the raises for the state’s top leaders. He says budget writers found the salaries were lower than similar positions in other states.
“It was all about trying to get those salaries to some sort of reasonable parity to what we saw in other places,” he said.
Senators didn't get themselves a raise. The House budget has much smaller raises for the governor and state leaders.