Relates to the compensation of members of the legislature
A11446 would amend the Legislative Law to change how members of the New York State Legislature are paid. The bill keeps the existing annual salary for legislators at $142,000 and retains the current rule that salary payments are withheld if the state budget is not enacted by the start of a fiscal year, with withheld amounts later paid once the budget is passed.
The bill adds a new exception to that withholding rule: if the Governor includes any new policy issues in the executive budget that were not in the original proposed budget or the 30-day amendments, legislators’ biweekly salary payments would resume and any withheld pay would be promptly released. In effect, the measure creates a condition under which legislators would not continue to forfeit or delay pay during a budget impasse when the Governor introduces additional policy items outside the budget framework.
This bill would amend section 5 of the Legislative Law governing legislative compensation and budget-related salary withholding. It would directly affect compensation practices for state senators and assembly members by narrowing the circumstances under which pay can be withheld during budget delays, and it would require prompt payment of accrued withheld salary once the new condition is triggered. The practical impact is on state payroll administration and the leverage structure during budget negotiations, rather than on public benefits or private parties.
The available record shows the bill was introduced and referred to the Assembly Committee on Governmental Operations, but there are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided materials. Based on the text alone, the bill appears to be a targeted legislative compensation measure, likely intended to address fairness in budget standoffs. Because no debate or vote history is included, there is no documented public sentiment in the record beyond the bill’s formal introduction.
The main point of contention is the new carve-out from the existing salary-withholding rule during budget impasses. Supporters would likely view the change as protecting legislators from losing pay when the Governor adds new policy issues outside the budget process, while opponents may see it as weakening fiscal pressure on lawmakers to enact a timely budget. The bill also raises a separation-of-powers and bargaining issue by tying legislative pay to the Governor’s inclusion of policy items in the budget process.