New pay raise for Idaho legislators divides Republicans

Idaho State Capitol building on March 23, 2021. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun)

A pay increase for Idaho legislators that is being pushed by an outgoing Republican leader and was approved by a citizens committee has divided Republicans in the Idaho Legislature.

On Nov. 6, the Citizens’ Committee on Legislative Compensation unanimously approved increasing legislators’ pay from $19,913 per year to $25,000, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. Under the Idaho Constitution, legislators don’t establish their own pay – a job that is left to the Citizens’ Committee on Legislative Compensation. 

However, legislators can reject or reduce the pay increase by passing a concurrent resolution during the first 25 days of the upcoming legislative session that begins Jan. 6.

Idaho citizens committee approves legislative salary increases

And that’s exactly what a group of eight Republicans – most of whom are newly elected legislators – is pledging to do when the 2025 legislative session gavels in.

In a press release issued Nov. 8, eight Republicans said they will introduce a concurrent resolution on the first day of the legislative session to reject the pay increase. Instead, the Republicans said they want the Idaho Legislature to instead focus on the state’s sales tax on groceries. 

“With Idahoans facing increasing expenses for essentials such as food, housing, and energy, the Legislature must exercise fiscal responsibility by prioritizing the needs of Idaho residents over expanding government and increasing legislator pay,” the eight Republican legislators wrote. “In the past five years, Idaho’s budget has grown by 55%, while most Idahoans are working hard just to keep up with rising inflation and have not seen comparable income increases. It sends the wrong message to use taxpayer funds for lawmaker salary increases during this time of financial strain.”

The eight Republicans who signed the statement include Sen. Glenneda Zuiderveld, Reps.-elect Lucas Cayler, Clint Hostetler, David Leavitt, Kent Marmon, Faye Thompson and Sens.-elect Josh Kohl and Christy Zito. 

During a Nov. 7 meeting of the Idaho Legislature’s legislative council, outgoing Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise, said he was one of the point people behind the proposed legislative raises. Winder told members of the council he asked legislative staffers to investigate and compare legislative pay rates across the country. 

After being defeated in the May Republican primary election, Winder said he felt comfortable taking on the issue of legislative pay because he would not benefit personally as an outgoing legislator.

“I’ve always felt like we needed to attract more people and younger people, and it’s very difficult for young people to … come here and give us the time they give up and do it for $1,500 a month,” Winder said.
Winder said the $25,000 is a reasonable proposal. It was lower than the original $37,801 pay proposal that legislative leaders brought to the citizens’ committee. 

One of the hallmarks of the Idaho Legislature is that it is a part-time, seasonal legislature, not a full-time professional legislative body. The Idaho Legislature is sometimes referred to as the Idaho Citizens’ Legislature for that reason.