Rep. Wait Opposes Pay Raise

Springfield, IL… What a difference a day makes.  Yesterday, State Representative Ron Wait’s (R-Belvidere) request to bring legislation opposing a legislative pay raise to the House Floor was denied by House Democrats in a vote along party lines.  Yet, just 24 hours later, House Democrats decided the idea wasn’t so bad after all.  They brought forward an identical resolution for a vote the very next day.

Representative Wait strongly opposes the legislative pay raise and helped pass the measure that would kill this salary increase.  Wait argued that this pay raise is being proposed at the wrong time.
 
“Now is not the time to allow ourselves a pay raise,” said Wait.  “We are living in a time when families can’t go on vacation because they can’t afford the gas, some are living paycheck to paycheck and can barely afford groceries, and the costs of utility bills continue to rise.”
 
Representative Wait was first on the issue when he filed his own resolution rejecting the pay raise on April 1st.  Just yesterday, House Democrats denied Representative Wait the chance to have a vote taken on his resolution.

“I was disappointed when my resolution was denied a vote; however, at the end of the day, I am happy a resolution did pass, and I am now a co-sponsor of the resolution that passed today,” stated Wait.

Just last year, Democrat lawmakers passed a 10% pay raise for members of the General Assembly.  Representative Wait voted against this raise and still believes that much more work should be accomplished for the families of Illinois before legislators should even consider an increase in their wages.