Ohio lawmakers have voted themselves a pay raise to take effect over the next three years, and beyond. But not all legislators were on board with the move.
Republican State Representative Niraj Antani of Miamisburg sided with 19 other legislators in the Ohio House in voting no.
Antani says House Bill 296 was a “good bill” that allowed the families of fallen firefighter and police officers to still qualify for the state health services they were eligible for when their spouse was alive.
“Unfortunately, a poison pill was added to [the bill] which allows every politician in Ohio to receive a 25 percent pay increase and does nothing to help Ohioans whose wages have been stagnant for years,” he said.
Antani says lawmakers should also be more focused on fixing the opioid epidemic, and high rates of infant mortality.
Proponents among the legislature have cited the need to recruit talented lawmakers in the future and long overdue raises for county and township employees, some who may not have had raises in the last decade.
House Bill 296 passed 62 to 20 and “include language that would increase the pay of every politician in Ohio at the local, county, and state level. This would increase the pay of state legislators from more than $60,500 to almost $67,500 in 3 years. After that, it would pay would increase annually by 1.75 percent until 2028.
The bill was also passed by the Ohio senate and now sits on Governor Kasich’s desk along with several other bills on abortion and gun rights that the governor has indicated he’ll veto.
