NH House and Senate Democrats Continue Spending Spree

Approve Huge Increases in Staff Pay Raises over the Next Biennium

Concord --With the citizens of New Hampshire already starting to feel the sting of increased taxes and spending passed by the Democrat-controlled State Legislature this year, the General Court’s Joint Facilities Committee today agreed, in a strictly partisan vote of 8-4, to approve nearly $900,000 in pay raises and benefits for the 145 members of legislative staff over the next biennium.

In adopting the Study of Staff Classification and Compensation, presented by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the committee agreed to annual pay increases of $375,000.  When the additional FICA payments and retirement benefits are factored in, the price tag for the NH taxpayer will reach $900,000 over the biennium.

“This represents an incredible rate of growth in state government in a short amount of time,” said House Republican Leader Mike Whalley (R-Alton), who was one of the four Republicans who voted against adopting the report. “We will now have bill-drafting lawyers in the legislature who will be getting paid more than attorneys who investigate homicides for the Attorney General’s office.  While I can certainly appreciate the hard work of our employees, it is inappropriate to have only eight members of the legislature adopt an increase of this magnitude, and to do it on the actual day of its presentation.  This is not only a report done by a group from outside New Hampshire, but both legislative bodies should have had the opportunity to weigh in on such an important spending issue,” added Whalley.

The NCSL report also calls for the addition of a full-time human resource specialist for the General Court as well as a central administrator that will take over all of the joint staffing functions previously held by the chiefs of staff of the two chambers.  “The Democrats continue to grow government bigger and, in the end, it will be the taxpayers of this state who will have to pay the tab.  It is inappropriate to expect our citizens to bear the burden of such an increase and I certainly hope that the voters remember days like this when it comes time to go to the polls,” concluded  Rep. Whalley.

State Senate Republican Leader Theodore Gatsas (R-Manchester), who also apposed adopting the report, said, “The employees affected by this increase should not be treated any different than the approximately 300 other dedicated state employees who work so hard for New Hampshire and who are still waiting for their raises. It is also outrageous to think that certain employees will receive as much as a 62 percent boost in their salary over the next 16 months,” he added. “This money could have been used to help defray they 17.5 percent increase in overall budget spending,” concluded Gatsas.

The report adopted today by the 8-4 party line vote, will take affect on September 1, 2007 .

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