Will lawmakers take a cut?

COLUMBUS

Voters appear to be pretty short on patience at the moment for fat cat politicians.

And I’m sure people serving in public office are getting pretty short on patience for voters and media folks calling them fat cats.

No, it’s not a fair descriptor for the men and women who have the often-thankless task of frequenting the House and Senate chambers at the Ohio Statehouse.

Lawmakers sit through hours of sometimes-pointless meetings. They are the targets of unwarranted criticism from people who don’t always have their facts straight. Sometimes, they get stuck massaging legalese while their wives are giving birth or their children are taking first steps or mouthing first words or scoring first touchdowns.

It’s a calling. And in Ohio, it’s a position that pays well.

Members of the Ohio General Assembly earn more than $60,000 a year, with those in leadership topping $85,000 or $90,000. They also get other perks — public pensions, tax breaks for their time in Columbus and travel stipends.

Voters’ demands

But back to voters. Judging by the results of this month’s election, they want to see changes in how the state and country are handling their finances.

In Ohio, the majority backed Republicans for all five statewide posts and gave conservatives a wider majority in the Senate and a return to power in the House.

Gov.-elect John Kasich has pledged not to raise taxes — actually, he says he plans to cut them in the long run.

Republicans also say they’re interested in making government more efficient and cutting spending.

It seems logical to me that they would be open to ideas for accomplishing the latter.

Here’s one: Cut their own pay.

That’s not my idea. It was introduced in legislation earlier this session by state Rep. Seth Morgan, a Republican from the Dayton area, whose bill on the topic gained about 30 co-sponsors.

House Democrats, who have been in control for the past two years, thought it was a good idea, too.

They included the lawmaker pay cut in legislation a year ago that froze income tax rates as part of an effort to fill a hole in the state budget.

That provision was removed before the bill was passed, though some lawmakers said it should be revisited before the end of session.

Granted, it wouldn’t save a lot of money, but it seems like an appropriate and symbolic move, given the election results and the number of Ohioans who have seen their household incomes drop over the past two years.

Belt-tightening

In other words, the rest of us have had to tighten our belts and make do with less. Surely lawmakers could do the same.

Early indications, however, are that little legislation will be moved before Republicans take power in January.

And Republican Senate President Bill Harris, in his last term in the chamber, doesn’t support the pay cuts.

“I think, my personal opinion, is that the members that are here earn the pay that they’re being paid and if there’s a reason to cut their pay, then we would look at that,” he said. “... I think all of the members that are here in relationship to their services and the time they spend doing that are earning the pay that they’re receiving.”

He added, “They’re quality people. They’re making a major commitment to be able to serve at the pay that they’re being paid. So I commend them for that.”

Marc Kovac is The Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.