State Lawmakers Advocate for Salary Increase After Decades
The discussion over increasing state legislators’ salaries has gained momentum, with many lawmakers supporting the initiative. Currently, state legislators earn an annual salary of $24,000, a figure that has not changed for nearly 30 years.
Democratic Senator Mitzi Epstein highlighted the financial struggles faced by legislators, explaining, “We lose people left and right because they’re not making enough money to put food on their own table for their children.” Epstein, who supports the pay raise, argued that the existing salary is insufficient for those treating the role as a full-time job, forcing them to seek secondary employment.
“We are not able to recruit enough people from enough walks of life,” emphasized Epstein, pointing to the barriers the current pay structure creates in attracting diverse candidates to legislative roles.
The push for higher salaries comes in the wake of Tucson Democrat Priya Sundareshan’s remarks regarding Senator Eva Burch’s resignation. Sundareshan noted, “We are losing good members who cannot afford to keep being the excellent and engaged legislators that they are because the pay is so low.”
If the proposal for a pay raise secures legislative approval, the decision will be presented to voters in the 2026 general election.
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