ALBANY - Legislation to immediately raise the pay of state judges and eventually hike the salaries of state legislators, the governor and other statewide elected officials has been introduced in the state Senate, where it has unanimous support.
The measure was introduced without fanfare on Wednesday.
“We expect we will take it up as early as next week,” said Mark Hansen, a spokesman for Joseph Bruno, the Senate's Republican majority leader.
The legislation would provide $48.2 million to cover judicial pay raises retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year.
The plan would raise the annual salaries of judges on the state Supreme Court, New York's major trial court, to $165,200 from $136,700. Federal district court judges are paid $165,200 a year.
There would be similar raises for all the state's more than 1,200 judges, who haven't had raises since 1999.
More controversial are provisions that would provide regular cost of living increases for judges, lawmakers and statewide elected officials.
The bill would also create a 13-member commission to come up with other raises that should be given to lawmakers and statewide elected officials. They have also not had raises since 1999.
New York's 62 senators and 150 Assembly members are each paid $79,500 a year, but many receive extra stipends ranging in value up to $30,000 a year for leadership positions or committee work. The governor is paid $179,500 a year.
While legislative leaders and new Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer have all said they favor judicial pay raises, Spitzer has thus far refused to agree to any mechanism that would lead to legislative pay raises.
The governor has said he wants to see legislative action on such things as an overhaul of the state's campaign finance laws before he supports more pay for lawmakers. Spitzer wants to reduce campaign contribution limits.
Spitzer came out with his own judicial pay raise proposal on Thursday, but it applied only to judges. It would give state judges pay raises retroactive to April 1, 2005. As with the Senate bill, the Spitzer plan would raise the pay of state Supreme Court justices to $165,200 a year.
The Spitzer proposal came as he unveiled promised state constitutional amendments that would provide for the appointment, by the governor, of most state judges rather than their election. He also is seeking to merge and streamline parts of the state court system, a plan long advocated by Chief Judge Judith Kaye. The proposed amendments are subject to approval by the state Legislature and voters statewide. The merger plan, Spitzer said, would save the state court system about $59 million a year.
The Assembly approved legislation similar to the Senate pay raise proposal earlier this year when it was adopting a new state budget.
Judge Kaye has been demanding action on judicial pay and has threatened to sue the Legislature and Spitzer if they don't act soon.
Kaye spokesman Gary Spencer said the chief judge liked both the Senate bill and the governor's judges-only pay raise proposal.
“We expect we will take it up as early as next week,” said Mark Hansen, a spokesman for Joseph Bruno, the Senate's Republican majority leader.
The legislation would provide $48.2 million to cover judicial pay raises retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year.
The plan would raise the annual salaries of judges on the state Supreme Court, New York's major trial court, to $165,200 from $136,700. Federal district court judges are paid $165,200 a year.
There would be similar raises for all the state's more than 1,200 judges, who haven't had raises since 1999.
More controversial are provisions that would provide regular cost of living increases for judges, lawmakers and statewide elected officials.
The bill would also create a 13-member commission to come up with other raises that should be given to lawmakers and statewide elected officials. They have also not had raises since 1999.
New York's 62 senators and 150 Assembly members are each paid $79,500 a year, but many receive extra stipends ranging in value up to $30,000 a year for leadership positions or committee work. The governor is paid $179,500 a year.
While legislative leaders and new Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer have all said they favor judicial pay raises, Spitzer has thus far refused to agree to any mechanism that would lead to legislative pay raises.
The governor has said he wants to see legislative action on such things as an overhaul of the state's campaign finance laws before he supports more pay for lawmakers. Spitzer wants to reduce campaign contribution limits.
Spitzer came out with his own judicial pay raise proposal on Thursday, but it applied only to judges. It would give state judges pay raises retroactive to April 1, 2005. As with the Senate bill, the Spitzer plan would raise the pay of state Supreme Court justices to $165,200 a year.
The Spitzer proposal came as he unveiled promised state constitutional amendments that would provide for the appointment, by the governor, of most state judges rather than their election. He also is seeking to merge and streamline parts of the state court system, a plan long advocated by Chief Judge Judith Kaye. The proposed amendments are subject to approval by the state Legislature and voters statewide. The merger plan, Spitzer said, would save the state court system about $59 million a year.
The Assembly approved legislation similar to the Senate pay raise proposal earlier this year when it was adopting a new state budget.
Judge Kaye has been demanding action on judicial pay and has threatened to sue the Legislature and Spitzer if they don't act soon.
Kaye spokesman Gary Spencer said the chief judge liked both the Senate bill and the governor's judges-only pay raise proposal.
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