This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
The winners of elections for legislative seats and statewide offices in November can expect to receive larger paychecks than elected officials get now.
A set of pay increases that resulted from a 2024 bill that created an independent commission to examine and set salaries for elected officials will automatically go into effect Jan. 1 unless modified or changed by the legislature this year. The cost to the budget for the first full year is estimated to be $400,000, according to nonpartisan staff.
The commission’s December report said the salaries in Colorado are inadequate “considering the significance of the work performed,” and statewide officers are paid 14 percent to 35 percent below the median salaries of their counterparts in other states. The commission looked at data from the National Conference of State Legislatures and factored in the cost of labor.
The commission recommended increasing Colorado salaries for statewide offices (other than Attorney General) to the 25th percentile of peer states, “given the budgetary constraints the State of Colorado is experiencing. The 25th percentile is considered a competitive rate,” said the report.
The next attorney general will get a whopping 45 percent increase to $170,000 a year. The state treasurer will get 28 percent more, the secretary of state will get a 26 percent increase and the governor 11 percent. State lawmakers will get the smallest bump at six percent.
Colorado lawmakers will earn the median salary of peer states, nearly $51,000 a year, not including a daily session per diem, which, if claimed, adds another $33,000 for non-Denver area members, and $9,000 for Denver area lawmakers. The per diems are tied to the federal per diem rates (90% of the federal rate for non-metro members and 25% for metro members)
Democratic Rep. Naquetta Ricks of Aurora was the main sponsor of the pay commission study and said the salary for lawmakers is currently structured for people of means and wealth, who have the ability to spend four months at the Capitol. She said she never had a set salary in mind, but wants to pave the way for more people from all walks of life to feel like they could afford to run for elected office.
“I think people should get paid what they work for,” she said.
However, Ricks was under the incorrect impression that lawmakers had to approve the commission’s recommendations.
But according to non-partisan legislative staff, the salary increases don’t require a bill and will go into effect automatically.
The pay raises are set to come the year after Colorado lawmakers had to address a $1.5 billion budget shortfall, which has been the focal point of the legislative session.
“We are cutting everywhere, so it does feel a little tone deaf,” Kelly Mayr said. She’s a parent caregiver of a permanently disabled young adult from Highlands Ranch. “How we spend our money tells people what we value,” Mayr said.
Medicaid growth is one driver of the budget shortfall, including higher costs, expanded programs and patients using services more frequently. While the budget isn’t final, lawmakers are proposing some cuts to services for people with disabilities and their caregivers. Medicaid providers will get a 2% across the board cut. State workers will not receive the 3.5% cost of living increase they were slated to get.
Under the Colorado Constitution, lawmakers cannot vote to change their own pay, up or down, in the middle of a term. That’s why the latest pay raise was set in motion two years ago and passed by a different legislature, although some current lawmakers did approve it.
Yet, even without Ricks’ 2024 bill or the pay commission report, lawmakers would still get a pay bump. In 2017, the legislature passed a bipartisan law indexing future legislative salaries to inflation and adjusting every two years starting in 2025. State economists project the salaries for lawmakers would be about $50,000 next year, regardless.
Per diem leads to different take-home pay for lawmakers
Legislative salaries can differ depending on per diem claims. Each member is entitled to claim all 120 days of the session, and a per diem in the interim for committee hearings. Legislative leaders, including the House speaker, Senate president, and the majority and minority leaders, can receive a leadership per diem during the interim. That amount for legislative leaders will increase from $99 a day to $193 per day in 2027.
“They can get per diem for any day that they work in the capacity of their leadership position when the legislature is not in session,” said Natalie Castle, the director for the non-partisan Legislative Council Staff.
Metro lawmakers also receive daily travel reimbursements to the Capitol, and out-of-metro members receive reimbursement for one round-trip to the Capitol per week.
