LANSING – State Representative Mike Simpson (D-Jackson) today voted to approve a 10 percent cut in the salaries of Michigan's lawmakers and other elected officials, and called on the Senate to do more to hold legislators accountable and share in the sacrifices being asked of the people of Michigan.
"Michigan's elected officials need to lead by example in these tough economic times," said Simpson, who requested to serve on the House Government Operations Committee this term in order to work at streamlining Michigan's government. "We are all in this together, and lawmakers need to share in the sacrifices being made by residents throughout mid-Michigan."
The House first called for the pay cut in February, by approving a resolution that called on the State Officers Compensation Commission (SOCC), the body in charge of determining legislator salaries, to decrease lawmakers' salaries by 10 percent, as well as the salaries of the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General and the Secretary of State. Earlier this month the SOCC voted to recommend a 10 percent pay cut for elected officials. The SOCC's recommendation went before the House and Senate for a full vote and was passed by each chamber to make it official.
Simpson also called on the Senate to take action on an additional government reform package that recently passed the House, including plans to:
- Dock lawmakers' pay each time they miss a day of session with an unexcused absence.
- Prohibit legislators from becoming lobbyists for two years after leaving office, effectively ending the revolving door between lawmakers and lobbying firms.
- Require certain state officials and candidates for elected office to disclose their personal finances to the Bureau of Elections.
"With so many families across Michigan struggling to make ends meet, it's ridiculous that some lawmakers don't show up for work and still get paid," Simpson said. "We need to make real reforms to how state government operates. That means getting rid of this revolving door between lobbyists and the Legislature, slashing the pay of elected officials, and making government open and accountable to the people of Michigan."