Wisconsin state senators receive full-time pay post adjournment for the year
Wisconsin Senate Wraps Up Early, Leaving Much Unfinished
As the Wisconsin Senate chambers echoed with the sounds of finality, the last gavel of 2024 fell on Tuesday. With no intention of reconvening before the year ends, the lawmakers have effectively adjourned until January 2025.
“By adjourning early for the 2023-24 legislative session — nearly a full month before their own calendar prescribed — Senate Republicans sent a message to our Wisconsin neighbors that they believe our job is done,”
stated Minority Caucus Chairman Chris Larson, voicing a sense of duty overlooked.
Despite a work period spanning just a few months, each state legislator is walking away with a full-time salary of $57,408. It’s a figure prompting questions about the balance between public service and compensation.
Calendar Cleared, Yet Work Remains
While the calendar had room for more—meetings penciled in through May—Republican leaders appear to have no plans to press on. According to reports, the Senate agenda lies bare until the next call to order.
“The Senate has four potential floor days in April and a veto-review period in May,” a spokesperson for Senate Majority leader Devin LeMahieu explained.
But with the election season’s wheels beginning to turn as candidates emerge in mid-April, typical legislative activity takes a back seat, if not a complete halt.
The Opposition’s Stance
Democrats, on the other hand, express a different viewpoint. They accentuate a litany of issues still on the table—concerns like DACA, expungement, and missing persons cases, naming only a few of pressing matters they believe deserve the Senate’s unwavering attention.
“We shouldn’t be done today. We should be coming back into session until April 11,” urged Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, calling for diligence over departure.
The 2020 findings by WisPolitics are telling in comparison: Wisconsin’s legislature stands as the least active among its full-time counterparts nationwide. Legislators in similar positions across nine other states convened nearly eighteen times more often than Wisconsin’s representatives.
Larson, however, sees a silver lining with the promise of fairer electoral maps on the horizon, anticipating a shift towards a more collaborative and active legislature—a change he suggests is sorely needed after years of static majority rule.
Wisconsinites are left to ponder: as official state business is shelved until the New Year, is the value they receive in governance reflective of the salaries paid? As the Senate doors close, the conversation on the intersection of public service and taxpayer accountability is very much open.
For more details on the Wisconsin legislature’s adjournment, visit the Washington Examiner’s full report on the matter.
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