Illinois lawmakers receive some of the most lucrative legislative compensation packages in the nation. In Illinois, politics remains one of the only lines of work where employees receive a full-time salary for what is essentially part-time work.
On top of those salaries, the total cost of Illinois lawmakers also includes generous state-provided health care, dental and earned pension benefits. Taxpayers also pay for per diem costs and mileage reimbursements when politicians are in session.
House Bill 5760, filed Feb. 16, 2018 by Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Godfrey, would keep per diem rates flat for General Assembly members and constitutional officers, and eliminate cost-of-living adjustments for 2018.
Illinois lawmakers pay themselves $68,000, the fifth-highest annual lawmaker salary in the country, and far more than lawmakers in neighboring states. In fact, Illinois lawmakers get more than twice what lawmakers in Iowa and Indiana earn. Automatic cost-of-living raises are baked into the system, meaning lawmakers must take action to prevent themselves from getting a pay raise each year.
Sign the petition today to tell your lawmaker to support the freezing of per diems and the elimination of lawmaker COLAs.