There's finally some good news to report from the State Capitol!
The inept, hodgepodge collection of right wing ideological assholes, special interest shills, oil industry lemmings, and perverse deviants that we know as Oklahoma lawmakers (some, I assume, are good people) will receive an 8.8% pay reduction effective in November.
Here's the great news via the AP:
All of Oklahoma's 149 state senators and representatives will get a pay cut of 8.8 percent in November 2018 after an independent nine-member panel narrowly voted to approve the reduction.
The Legislative Compensation Board voted 4-3 on Thursday to impose the pay cut effective on the next group of legislators elected next year.
Members of the panel are appointees of the governor, speaker of the House and pro tem of the Senate. Several said the decision was a difficult one, but that the total annual compensation for legislators of $62,000 was too generous given the salary of the average Oklahoman or state worker.
According to Craig Humphrey's new math, the 8.8% reduction will lower a legislator's pay from $38,400 a year to $35,020. That's cool and everything, but considering a first year Oklahoma teacher only makes $31,600 a year, that still seems too high.
Either way, congrats to the members of the Legislative Compensation Board for a job well done. We should even give props to the ones who voted against the pay cut. According to The Oklahoman, they didn't think the 8.8% cut was steep enough.
