JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri lawmaker promised Thursday to try to block proposed pay increases for legislators and other elected officials, which had been recommended by a state board days earlier.
Rep. Mark Parkinson, R-St.Charles, said he plans to introduce a resolution against the raises next session.
"I didn't seek public office for what I can get out of it," he said. "I sought public office for what I can put into it."
The Citizens' Commission on Compensation for Elected Officials suggested Tuesday 8 percent pay raises both in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 for the governor and other statewide officials, although they haven't written an official report yet.
The governor, who currently is paid $133,821 a year, would make about $156,088 a year under those recommendations. State lawmakers would receive a $4,000 raise from the current $35,915 over two years, and the lieutenant governor would make $9,500 more to $95,984.
Some eligible for raises would only get part of the benefits before their terms end in January 2017.
A spokeswoman for the Office of Administration said the estimated cost of the increases to the state has not yet been determined.
The state constitution requires the commission meet every two years to evaluate whether to increase officials' pay, and the panel's suggestions take effect automatically unless two-thirds of the Missouri Legislature votes against them.
The Legislature won't meet again until January, but opposition against the recommendations already is forming. Parkinson said it's an "inappropriate time" because the state's economy continues to recover.
Other Republican lawmakers have expressed concern about using state money for salary increases.
Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey has voted against pay increases in the past and said he'd rather send money to "the front lines" after the state workforce was slashed again this year.
But some argue the increase is necessary to attract diverse candidates to run for office.
Rep. Mike Colona, a St. Louis Democrat, said lawmakers who are not independently wealthy might struggle with the current annual salary. The last time lawmakers and statewide officials received a pay increase was in 2009.
"Most normal constituents with families who want to change the world can't afford to take six months off their jobs" to serve in office, Colona said. "It's really, really hard and we lose a lot of good people who could make a big difference."