Fasano pushes cut in legislators' pay

With $1.4-billion in cuts on the line, the Pasco Republican says lawmakers' salaries should be first.

By LUCY MORGAN

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 16, 2001

TALLAHASSEE -- Legislators should lead the way into cutting the state budget by cutting their own salaries first, says Rep. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey.

Fasano is asking his fellow legislators to approve a bill that would repeal a 2.5 percent pay raise given to legislators July 1, rolling their annual pay back from $28,608 to $27,900.

The bill will be considered when legislators convene in a two-week special session Gov. Jeb Bush has called beginning Monday to cut the budget in the wake of deficits caused in part by an economic slowdown and fears spread by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Legislators are facing budget cuts that are expected to reach almost $1.4-billion due to shortfalls in tax collections.

"If we are going to ask educators, seniors, children and the medically needy to cut back services, we should be first to set a precedent," Fasano said.

Fasano said he will also introduce another bill in time for the regular session, which begins in January, to block next year's pay raise.

Fasano said he still makes a little more than $23,000 a year because he has refused to take pay raises for five years.

Fasano has also filed a bill that would torpedo a bill approved by legislators this year that dramatically increases the money some elected state officials could receive as a result of an amendment to the state retirement law.

The amendment was added in the closing hours of this year's regular legislative session to help some elected officials who would have been unable to seek re-election next year because they opted to enter a retirement program that would have forbidden it.

Some officials, such as Broward County Public Defender Alan Schreiber, would be able to collect deferred compensation accounts totaling as much as $600,000, their annual retirement benefits and their regular salaries if they are re-elected.

Fasano said he thinks the amendment would provide an unanticipated and unfair windfall to certain elected officials and should be repealed before anyone can take advantage of it.

Fasano, former majority leader in the House, was handling the bill on the floor of the House and says he did not realize the full impact of an amendment that was added at the last minute.

Some elected officials sought a change in the law so they could remain in office without losing deferred retirement accounts. Under the old law, the state created deferred retirement programs in an effort to encourage some longtime officials to retire and make way for younger, lower-paid employees.

But some elected officials say they would have been forced to retire in midterm because the deferred retirement program required them to retire within five years.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright