Oklahoma board considers reducing legislator pay, benefits

OKLAHOMA CITY — A committee created to decide whether to give Oklahoma lawmakers a pay raise decided instead Tuesday to consider reducing the salary and benefits for the state’s 149 legislators.

The Legislative Compensation Board voted to keep the $38,400 annual salary for now, but the nine-member panel agreed to meet again in four months to discuss the issue more.

Chairman Wes Milbourn and several members suggested the board consider reducing lawmaker salary and benefits given the state’s budget crisis and a perception from the public that lawmakers are doing a poor job.

“This is something that the whole state of Oklahoma is very frustrated with, they’re very frustrated with the performance of the legislators,” said Milbourn, the president and general manager of two Oklahoma City television stations who was appointed to the board by Gov. Mary Fallin. “In many businesses everywhere, you find that people who don’t perform certainly don’t get raises, and many of them lose their jobs or get decreases in their salaries, and so I think that’s something we at least need to consider in today’s climate.”

Read more: http://www.swtimes.com/news/20171017/oklahoma-board-considers-reducing-legislator-pay-benefits