A raise for Arizona lawmakers? The firefighters mobilized behind this idea

A powerful firefighter lobbying group will push to raise state legislators’ salaries in 2025, saying the move, over time, could lead lawmakers to a better understanding of the issues before them.

A legislative pay increase would mean good things for the entire state, said Tom Caretto, group vice president of government affairs for Arizona Professional Firefighters. He thinks it would help the firefighters’ cause, including getting better health benefits.

Firefighters need more funding for the treatment of cancers they believe are caused by exposure to chemicals on the job, and a long-term understanding of the problem is key to getting there, a- he declared. Leaders of the organization, which represents about 8,000 firefighters in the state, believe lawmakers with more than a decade of experience are more likely to align with their goals, he added.

“We want to work with people who have that 10-year tenure,” Caretto said. “The problems in Arizona are much bigger than a two-year election cycle or a one-year budget.”

Raising lawmakers’ salaries has been a popular topic of discussion in recent years, among both Republicans and Democrats. Democratic lawmakers introduced several bills last year proposing an increase, some of which drew interest from Republicans. But no action was taken.

Lawmakers in the state House and Senate currently earn a nominal base salary of $24,000 per year. However, those who live outside of Maricopa County receive at least an additional $35,760 per year in per diem expenses.

State law requires voters to approve lawmakers’ salaries. The last time they were asked this question was in 2014 – and the answer was “no” with an overwhelming 68% of the vote.

Democratic Sen. Brian Fernandez of Yuma, who last year unsuccessfully sponsored a bill to raise the salaries of other state officials, including the governor, supports the idea of an increase for legislators as a method of attracting a better crop of candidates.

“At the end of the day, you get what you pay for,” Fernandez said, adding that with today’s pay, that means too many retirees or wealthy self-employed people. “We seem to be finding the money for a million other half-baked ideas. I think it’s time to talk about paying legislators and finding new ideas in these buildings.”

In fact, most lawmakers are not millionaires and do not have lucrative pensions, although some of the oldest are retired, such as Sen. John Kavanagh of Fountain Hills, a former New York area peace officer. York.

Many legislators juggle their day jobs with their legislative duties. While some receive support from their employers in terms of time off to work at the state Capitol, others find themselves forced to leave their positions as legislators after a few years due to lack of money.

Legislators’ pay increases, a rare phenomenon

The last time state lawmakers got a raise was in 1998, when voters increased their pay by $15,000 a year.

In some respects, their salary would be well below the minimum wage for full-time employment. The minimum wage will be $14.70 next year, or $588 per 40-hour week, while the weekly wage for someone making $24,000 a year is $461.50.

Yet most lawmakers can work the equivalent of a full-time job or more while in session. While the typical legislative session in Arizona only lasts from mid-January to May or June each year, lawmakers typically work more than 40 hours per week during those months.

On the other hand, their schedule gives them six months of little work. And lawmakers also granted themselves a higher spending per diem in 2021, effectively doubling the pay of rural and Tucson lawmakers without input from voters.

Firefighters hope change could lead to better benefits

Firefighters in Arizona and other states have fought to increase their cancer treatment benefits amid increases in cancer diagnoses and deaths in recent years. Former Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill in 2021 removing the requirement for firefighters to prove their cancer was caused by exposure to toxins on the job and added new types of cancer to those eligible for the treatment. But problems remain, Caretto said, including the enormous expense of treating firefighters with cancer.

“We are not able to put more firefighters on the streets of our rural communities because, in part, our medical costs are very high,” he said, adding that new lawmakers often want to overturn the reimbursement by the State of these costs.

Increasing the remuneration of parliamentarians will be a “major project”, recognized Caretto.

One question still unanswered: How much of a raise should lawmakers get? The project is still in its early stages and the fire group doesn’t yet have a firm idea on the details, he said.

A 2023 survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures showed that Arizona fell roughly in the middle when it came to legislator pay. New Mexico lawmakers receive no salaries, while those in New York earn $142,000 a year.

Contact the journalist at [email protected] or 480-276-3237. Follow him on @raystern.