Yes, they are :(

Politics, Virginia 1 Minute

Earlier, I linked to a post by over at Extra Innings about the General Assembly accomplishing nothing on their first day back in the special session. My question then was did they get paid? The answer is now in: yes. It seems that only seven members of the 100-seat House of Delegates and none of the 40 members of the Virginia Senate have refused the $130 a day allowance they get for being in special session.

The seven are Norfolk’s own Kenneth C. Alexander (89th), William K. Barlow (64th), William H. Fralin Jr. (17th), Christopher K. Peace (97th), Harry R. Purkey (82nd), John S. Reid (72nd) and Christopher B. Saxman (20th).

I applaud these men for refusing to take additional pay for work they should have completed during the regular session. At the same time, I have to wonder if it is the very nature of the part-time legislature that has created a situation where the other 133 members of the General Assemby are not turning down the money. Is it because they are losing so much income from their regular jobs that they cannot afford to stay in session without getting paid?

UPDATE: Apparently there are four more legislators who have agreed to not take the money. I have been unable to locate a list of the others.

Published

4 thoughts on “Yes, they are :(”

  1. Of course, if you tried your best to pass a budget in the regular session, in live, say, anywhere west of Roanoke, you’ll really need to take the $130 a day for travel, food, and lodging.

    But if you’re near Richmond and have the means, by all means, they should turn the money down.

  3. Couldn’t hurt.

    Or at least increasing the regular session time.

    But that would likely entail raising salaries (which are what, $16,000 for the House, $18,000 for Senate, or something close?).

    In the long run, however, we could have more thoughtful and thorough sessions and hearings, which always helps!

Comments are closed.