Montgomery, AL – A proposed constitutional amendment to tie the compensation of Alabama legislators to the state's median household income has cleared a state Senate committee.
The pay plan sailed through the Senate Constitution and Elections Committee unanimously Thursday. It has already passed the House. If approved by the Senate, it will be up for a statewide vote in the general election Nov. 6.
The constitutional amendment would repeal the 61 percent raise that legislators gave themselves in 2007. That raise caused lots of criticism from voters. The compensation for legislators is currently more than $52,000 annually. The bill by Republican Rep. Mike Ball would tie pay to the median household income, which was $40,547 in 2010, and would give lawmakers the same travel expenses as state employees.
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