WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderSenate candidate proposes legislative pay cuts

Senate candidate proposes legislative pay cuts

By Marissa Sherer

ROCKFORD (WREX) -  Despite Illinois bad financial situation, lawmakers are some of the highest paid in the country.

According to the Illinois Policy Institute the starting salary for Representatives and Senators is $67,836. That's the fifth highest salary paid to a lawmaker in the nation. It's also 47% more than what the average Illinois resident makes.  Marla Wilson, who's running for Senate in the 34th District, wants legislators salaries equal to what the average Illinoisan makes, which is $46,110.  "Being in public service, their salaries shouldn't really be that high in the first place, but to have it a third higher than the average Illinois person is making is really wrong."

"I never accepted those, and again, those were always returned to local charities because I don't think we ought to be making and getting those pay raises or making those," says Wilson's challenger in the November elections Incumbent Senator Dave Syverson.

The average pay for lawmakers nationwide is just under $34,000.