Minnesota Lawmaker Pay Plan Rests With Joint Panel

ST. PAUL (AP) - A pay raise plan for Minnesota elected officials is a key point of difference as a House-Senate panel begins negotiations on a state agency budget bill.

The state Senate approved its bill containing pay raises for legislators, the governor and agency commissioners. The House didn't broach the lawmaker pay topic when passing its bill.

Tuesday's conference committee hearing is the first of several expected before a state agency budget bill is finalized.

Lawmakers haven't seen their base pay rise in more than a decade. If enacted, the raises wouldn't kick in until 2015. For legislators, the initial bump would be about $10,000 as part of a proposal to tie their wages to the governor's pay. The governor would see successive 3 percent raises and inflation-adjusted salary hikes after that.