BATON ROUGE (AP) -- A Senate panel has delayed action on a bill that would raise lawmakers' pay, amid questions about the state's budget for next year.
Several members of the Senate Finance Committee were sympathetic Monday to the pay raise proposal offered by Sen. Ann Duplessis. But they said they wanted to know more about what the state's finances will look like next year. The state's income forecasting panel meets Friday.
Currently, legislators earn a base salary of $16,800 per year, plus $143 per day they're in session. Duplessis' bill would raise the base salary to 30 percent of what members of Congress earn, or about $50,000 per year, plus the per diem.
