How do New York lawmakers give themselves a raise without actually voting to give themselves a raise? They create an independent commission to do it for them.
On Thursday, the New York State Compensation Committee came through.
The committee recommended raising the annual salary for members of the Senate and Assembly from $79,500 to $130,000 - a 63 percent boost -- in three phases over the next three years. The first bump, a 38 percent increase to $110,000, would come Jan. 1.
On the plus side, the committee of two current and two former state and New York City comptrollers attached some important strings to lawmakers' first pay raise in 20 years. On the minus side, it missed an opportunity to link the raise to broader ethics reform in Albany.
The committee recommended capping lawmakers' outside income at 15 percent of their salary, starting in 2020, similar to a rule that applies to members of Congress. Outside income was a corrupting influence that led to the downfall of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
It also said lawmakers should stop receiving stipends for taking on extra duties on committees - known as "lulus" - except for a few top leadership positions. That removes a tool the leaders used to punish or reward rank-and-file legislators. Of the 213 members of the New York Legislature, 160 receive stipends, according to data assembled by the committee. Pennsylvania, with 253 legislators, awards stipends to just 15.
Those two changes should help focus lawmakers on doing the people's business, not their own.
The committee also recommended raising the governor's pay from $179,000 to $250,000 in 2021. The lieutenant governor, comptroller and attorney general would get a raise from $151,500 to $220,000 by 2021. Commissioners appointed to lead state agencies also would get a pay boost.
Altogether, the raises would make New York state government the highest paid in the nation. While it was probably necessary to grant a legislative pay raise after 20 years without one, the committee missed an opportunity to demand serious ethics reforms in exchange. Voters and taxpayers will not be satisfied with that.
Lawmakers' first order of business in January should be to enact a comprehensive slate of reforms that would attack corruption in both the legislative and executive branches:
* Create a "database of deals" to show who's giving and getting taxpayer money for economic development.
* Close the "LLC loophole" to prevent campaign contributors from evading the statutory limits.
* Enact public campaign financing to magnify the influence of small-dollar donors.
* Ban campaign contributions from entities seeking to do business with the state.
* Create a truly independent ethics watchdog.
* Restore the comptroller's authority over SUNY contracts.
Incoming Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins announced her support for a pay raise and a ban on outside income. She signaled her intention to "advance other crucial reforms" in the new legislative session. The Senate Democratic Conference - including new member Rachel May, of Syracuse - must hold her to it.
The compensation committee's final report to the Legislature is due Monday. Its pay raise recommendations become law automatically if lawmakers do not convene by Jan. 1 to overrule them. That scenario seems unlikely. How could they complain about getting a huge raise, on top of the generous pension and health benefits they also receive? Plus, legislators worked very hard to keep their fingerprints off a pay raise.
Emblematic of that, only four of Central New York's nine legislators took a firm position for or against a raise, according to reporting by Mark Weiner. The others wouldn't be pinned down or wouldn't respond to the question -- not exactly a profile in political courage.
Now that it appears legislators are getting their pay raise, they must earn it by passing meaningful ethics reforms.
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