When the Senate Finance Committee approved a budget for the next fiscal year Wednesday they put a pause on scheduled pay raises for state workers.
Baton Rouge Senator Bodi White says right now a public sector pay raise just wouldn’t look good.
“When so many people lost their jobs, they don’t have any income, and we’re showing state employees getting a raise the perception by this committee just wasn’t one that they felt that they could not deal with,” said White.
The proposal heads to the Senate where it could be adjusted.
Evangeline Parish Senator Heather Cloud says the full scope of economic damage from the pandemic is not clear yet. Authorizing a raise could have serious ramifications.
“If I offer you a raise now, if you get a raise now that might mean later some of you might not be here,” said White.
Opponents note the Legislature is also currently considering nearly a hundred million dollars in business tax breaks at the same time.
Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne notes that most of the workers who will be impacted don’t make a lot of money.
“I believe about 70 percent of our state workforce is below the market rate that was set to provide these increases to state workers,” says Dardenne.
The 60 million dollars in pay raises was set aside, and lawmakers say they will take a look at whether the state can afford the raises later this year.
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