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JaredSeth t1_j1can9m wrote

"It will also include a $35,000 cap on the amount of outside income lawmakers can earn, though that won’t take effect until 2025."

They've tried limiting outside income before and the courts ruled they were overstepping their bounds. What's to say that doesn't happen again?

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PiffityPoffity t1_j1d1m0a wrote

Technically, they haven’t done it before. A commission set the increases/cap before. The court case was most about whether the commission had the authority to do so. The court said it didn’t.

The legislature passing the cap by itself is on much firmer legal ground.

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[deleted] t1_j1d87ow wrote

Keys say they set the cap to be 15% of their salary.

By raising their salaries or at least trying to they are also raising that cap.

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getahaircut8 t1_j1emz6p wrote

the cap is not tied to their salary - it is tied to the existing cap on income for retired state pensioners

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bittoxic00 t1_j1dlsba wrote

The reason it takes effect in 2025 is so they can get the raise and a ‘concession’ this year but have time to rescind the restriction before it takes place

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getahaircut8 t1_j1en3ze wrote

it's so the several dozen affected members can decide whether to run again or to keep their outside income

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gerd50501 t1_j1dse2a wrote

capping outside income limits who will take the job and limits candidates they have to face. state legislature is a part time job. This basically limits it to business owners or people with wealthy spouses.

lots of state lawmakers and smaller town mayors have regular jobs. This is not done to be democratic, but to limit competition for jobs.

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fdar t1_j1e2v7y wrote

With this raise their salaries are $142k/year (members of Congress make $174k).

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mr_birkenblatt t1_j1dqj49 wrote

> courts ruled they were overstepping their bounds

judge: "you're not allowed to limit your income. you're only allowed to increase it"

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