Council Approves $14,000 Raise For Minnesota Lawmakers

ST. PAUL (AP) - Minnesota lawmakers will get a hefty raise after a newly created citizen council voted to increase the Legislature's pay by 45 percent.

The Legislative Salary Council voted 13-1 Friday to increase lawmaker's pay to  $45,000, their first raise since 1999. That's up from $31,000, a sum that doesn't include daily expenses and travel reimbursements that can add thousands of dollars to their paychecks.

The raise takes effect July 1.

Minnesota voters created the citizen council in November by approving a constitutional amendment that removed lawmakers' power to set their own pay. It came after years of stalled efforts at the Legislature to increase pay amid fear of political backlash.

But the Legislature still has to approve the extra state $2.8 million of state money necessary to cover their larger paychecks.