Don’t you feel sorry for Tennessee lawmakers?
They’ve been so underpaid for so long while they’ve worked so hard to write amendments to ban a Tennessee income tax and to whittle at the Hall income tax on rich folks’ investment income while simultaneously agreeing to ramp up faux regulations to create a de facto-ban on women’s reproductive choice.
But don’t worry.
Last week, our lawmakers got a raise.
Unlike other state workers, teachers and, frankly, many Tennesseans who received no raise in 2014 — Tennessee lawmakers can now look forward to a nearly $700 increase in their annual salaries and a $10 bump in their daily allowance for expenses. And, of course, they still get their $1,000-a-month “office allowance.”