Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013 | 2 a.m.
Sun coverage
Sen. Tick Segerblom wants to professionalize Nevada’s Legislature.
Since its inception as a state, Nevada has had a citizen Legislature, where members meet every other year and hold down so-called day jobs when not in Carson City writing laws.
But under a measure introduced by Segerblom, the Legislature would begin meeting annually and would collect a monthly salary for their full term.
Right now, Nevada’s lawmakers rank in the bottom five in terms of salaries, at $8,777. (The figures do not include the often substantial per diem that lawmakers in Nevada and elsewhere collect.)
If Segerblom’s measure passes — it would have to be approved by voters after passing the Legislature twice — lawmakers would begin collecting $24,000 a year. At that level, the state's legislators would be squarely in the middle of the pack.
For a little bit of context, here’s a look at states that pay the top annual salaries and the lowest, as well as how often they meet.
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Top five: California
$95,921, nine-month session
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Top five: Pennsylvania
$82,026, meets throughout the year
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Top five: New York
$79,500, meets throughout the year
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Top five: Michigan
$71,685, meets throughout the year
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Top five: Illinois
$67,836, meets throughout the year
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Bottom five: New Mexico
No salary, one-month session
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Bottom five: New Hampshire
$100, six-month session
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Bottom five: Alabama
$1,050, 15-week session
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Bottom five: Nevada
$8,777, 120-day session every other year
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Bottom five: Utah
$5,265, 45-day session
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