The capital of Connecticut isHARTFORD, Conn. Rep. Joe de la Cruz asked his wife if he should run for a fourth term in the Connecticut House of Representatives. Tammy de la Cruz didn't want to discourage her husband from stepping away from the part-time job he has grown to love, but it didn't make sense for him to run again in November. Joe de la Cruz, a Democrat, told fellow House members when he announced in February that he was not seeking reelection that the retirement planner in her didn't have to use a calculator. It isn't enough to retire on. Lawmakers with part-time jobs have raised similar complaints in other states. In Oregon, where the base pay is about $33,000 a year, three female state representatives announced in March they are not seeking reelection because they can't afford to support their families on a part-time salary. The situation was called unsustainable in their resignation letter. Connecticut legislators have not seen an increase in their base pay in 21 years. Connecticut, Georgia, Oregon, and New Mexico are some of the states where bills increasing legislator pay were proposed this year. The bills have failed so far because some lawmakers don't want voters to approve their own pay raises. Proponents of pay raises say it is at risk, but it is not clear whether higher salaries lead to more diversified legislatures. A study published in the American Political Science Review found that raising politicians' salaries would encourage more people to run for office. The study found that higher salaries seem to make political office more attractive to workers who already earn high salaries. According to the CEO of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, low pay, along with the threats and picketing of some lawmakers and their families, will discourage people of modest means from running. That often means people of color. It makes it more difficult for people who don't have a lot of free time and need to rely on income to be able to perform their public service. The wealthy in this country are more white than people of color. The child of immigrants from India who was first elected in Washington recently announced on Facebook that she is not seeking reelection. She said that part of the reason was the difficulty she had in meeting her financial obligations on a state Senate salary. When the legislature is in session, Washington's senators earn a total of $56,881 a year, plus a per diem. The per diem went from up to $120 a day to up to $185 a day this year, while the salary is going to increase to $57,876 on July 1. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 70% of state legislators are white, 9% are black, 6% are Hispanic and 2% are Asian or Hawaiian. Legislative chambers are still male-dominated. Around 29% of state lawmakers are women, up from 25% five years ago. The number of people with Gen Z who are in Congress has grown in the last few years. Reggie Paros, chief program officer for the nonpartisan organization that supports legislators and members of Congress born after 1980, said younger lawmakers haven't been in the workforce long enough to establish the financial stability needed to make up for a low-paying legislative job. Paros said that the financial barrier is one of the biggest struggles for getting into public office. New participants may be deterred by political polarization. Peverill Squire, professor of political science, said it becomes harder to make an argument for a lot of people that they should put themselves into the political maelstrom at what could come as a considerable cost to their families. In recent years, his research on how and why legislatures change over time has found greater diversity on a range of different dimensions. In Oregon, for example, women held the majority of seats in the House of Representatives for the first time in 2021. He said that the compensation that often gets offered for legislative services is lagging behind what most people are paid during their working hours. When De la Cruz leaves his job as a union sheet metal worker, he said there will be no employed construction workers in the Connecticut General Assembly. He believes it is important to have those voices represented at the state Capitol. Regular people don't see the value in other working people up there. They don't understand that my voice is very close to theirs. A plumbing, manufacturing assembly line worker, and a meter reader were some of the people who served with Bob in the House. The lack of blue-collar workers in Connecticut makes it hard for policymakers to make decisions about the state's future. He said that we don't look like the state. In New Mexico, a Senate panel endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment to provide a salary to legislators who currently collect a daily stipend of approximately $165 during legislative sessions and for travel. The senator argued that a salary would expand the universe of people who are able to serve. Legislators in Alaska rejected a plan that would have raised their base salary from $50,000 to $64,000. It hasn't changed since 2010. The same proposal would have capped their daily $307 per diem for expenses like food and lodging at $100 and required receipts for claims. $100 isn't enough to cover the cost of living in the capital city of the state. The State Officers Compensation Commission proposed a revised salary and per diem plan, which Sen. Mike Shower raised concerns about in a letter. If there isn't a good compensation package, how do we get decent public servants who aren't wealthy, retired or have the luxury of a spouse with a good enough income? There is a The Associated Press writers who contributed to the report were Rachel La Corte in OLYMPIA, Washington, Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Andrew Selsky in Salem, Oregon, and Becky Bohrer in Alaska. As the uproar surrounding the state's new sex education standards intensify among some parents, Republican lawmakers and conservative media, Gov. Phil Murphy defended the standards but said the state will clarify what children will be learning in public schools starting in the fall. Murphy said the controversy was caused by partisan actors trying to divide parents. An anti-vax foreign citizen is trying to go on a foreign vacation without getting a vaccine. She should visit Florida. Few know that Amazon has millions of Prime subscribers. According to an interview unearthed by CNN, the Trump-loving Ohio Republican said the former president wasagonizing black voters. The president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas said that millions of dollars of fruits and vegetables were spoiled because of the delays. The Biden administration ended the moratorium on drilling on federal land. You can battle your way through a visually-stunning mythicalRPG realm with hundreds ofchampions from 14factions. New York City mayor Eric Adams said on Sunday that social media companies must step up to identify users that talk about committing violence. Due to too many concussions and the severity of my recent one, it is no longer safe for me to play. Doctors don't like the term "heartbruch" because it's inaccurate and misleading. A man builds a trap to catch a thief. The man charged with killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket last year is still not competent to stand trial. According to the experts at the Colorado Mental Health Institute, there is a good chance that Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 22, can be restored to competency within a reasonable future and remain competent by taking medications. The prosecution of the man has been on hold since December, when the judge ruled that he was mentally incompetent and unable to understand legal proceedings. Manila city mayor Francisco Domagoso, Senator Panfilo Lacson, and a former Defence Secretary said they were still in the race. Despite the black propaganda initiated by other candidates, he will never withdraw, according to his spokesman. A majority of Black Americans say being Black is central to how they think about themselves and shape their identities, even as many have different experiences, according to a new report. Being Black is only a small part of a person's identity, as shown by the fact that 9% say it has little to no impact. The results of the report on Black identity were released by the research center on Thursday. Jaw-Dropping design changes make this car you will love to drive. Australian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, the only European Union leader to meet with Putin since the invasion of Ukraine, discussed Putin's view of the war in an exclusive interview with Meet the Press. The White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator responds to his previous support for vaccine mandates to fly, and the retiring Rep. talks about the state of the GOP. After the death of her husband, Kelis returned to social media. President Joe Biden said in a statement that he and his wife would join fellow Christians around the world in celebrating Easter Sunday. Imagine walking to your car and seeing hilarious and embarrassing parking jobs. Pakistan warned Afghanistan's hard-line religious rulers to stop giving shelter to Taliban who have staged attacks against the country's military. The warning was issued after Afghan reports that Pakistan carried out bombing raids in Afghanistan, killing civilians. Pakistan accused the Afghan Taliban of doing nothing to stop attacks against it in Afghanistan. The retirement of the long-time legislator, Sen. Gilmore, could lead to the enactment of the anti-skullduggery law. Iran's Revolutionary Guards were listed as a sponsor of terror by Trump. Iran wants Biden to lift the label, which is holding up the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal. This all-natural sleep patch is changing the way we sleep. Wake up more energetic every morning. The Republicans who made international news tried to undermine a woman who was qualified for a position on the high court that represents America. While the domestic box office is showing signs of life after an age of COVID lockdowns, it seems that not every film franchise is being spurred by a return of theatergoers. A spring storm brought several feet of snow to the Sierra Nevada and rain to parts of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Central Sierra Snow Lab at UC Berkeley reported that the seven-day snow total was over 3 feet in some mountain areas. There was a foot of snow on the mountain.Associated Press
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