Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community

The cost of low pay: The $12,000 salary is warping the Nebraska Legislature

Third-party ads that targeted state Sen. Tony Vargas during his recent run for U.S. Congress featured incredulous voices, baffled over a seemingly selfish move: He wanted to "double his own salary" with taxpayer money.

What the ads didn't say: Nebraska's 49 lawmakers have been paid $12,000 a year since George H. W. Bush was first elected president, leg warmers were en vogue and Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" blasted unironically from boomboxes. If their pay had kept pace with inflation since 1988, senators today would make more than $30,000.

Low pay affects the composition of the Nebr...

 

Reader Comments(0)