KEY TAKEAWAYS: HB1201 would tie the Louisiana governor’s salary to 35% of university system president pay. If enacted, the governor’s salary could rise from $130,000 to about $182,088. Other statewide officials would also receive housing and vehicle allowances. The House committee advanced the bill, but it still requires full legislative approval.   Louisiana lawmakers may significantly increase the pay of the governor and other statewide elected officials in 2028. House Bill 1201, sponsored by Rep. John Illg, R-Harahan, would set the governor’s salary to 35% of the average base pay for Louisiana’s university system presidents in the previous fiscal year. Other statewide elected officials would earn 30% of the system leaders’ average. If the law were enacted today, it would raise the governor’s annual salary from $130,000 to $182,088, according to a legislative fiscal analysis. Other statewide officials’ salaries would go from $115,000 to $156,075. All statewide elected officials besides the governor would also receive a $30,000 annual housing allowance and a $12,000 annual vehicle allowance under Illg’s proposal. The governor is already given complimentary housing at the governor’s mansion and is driven around by a Louisiana State Police security detail. The Louisiana House and Government Affairs Committee moved the bill forward Thursday. It needs a vote from the full House and Senate to become law. Illg said salaries for statewide elected officials haven’t been raised in 20 years. Some current office holders made more money in previous government jobs at the same agencies they now lead. Illg told the House committee he wanted to link the elected officials’ salaries to an outside metric, such as university system president pay, so pay increases were not reliant on a legislative vote in the future. “You need to tie it to something so we never have to deal with this, again,” he said. A few other states tie their gubernatorial salaries to an outside entity. The Nevada governor, with a salary of $164,474 in 2022,  receives pay increases when other state employees do, according to the Nevada Independent.  Tennessee governor’s pay, $204,336 in 2022, is must be the same as the Tennessee Supreme Court chief justice’s salary. If Illg’s bill passes, the Louisiana governor’s salary would likely be higher than governors in most of Louisiana’s surrounding states. Alabama ($124,563), Arkansas ($158,739), Texas ($153,750) and Florida ($134,181) all paid their governors significantly less in 2022 than the proposed $182,000 Louisiana salary, according to a report by the Council of State Governments. The Mississippi governor salary was raised from $122,160 to $160,000 in 2024, according to Mississippi Today. New York has the highest paid governor in the country, who makes $250,000 annually, and Maine has the lowest paid governor, making $70,000 annually, according to the report. Under the bill, legislators would also be able to collect their daily stipend, which is $178, on more days outside of lawmaking sessions, but their salaries wouldn’t change. Lawmakers could get these per diem payments up to 10 days per month for legislative work that takes place outside of the Capitol, and they could also be reimbursed for mileage for legislative travel other than to the Capitol for up to 10 days per month. Lawmakers would be required to submit invoices to the Louisiana Senate president or House speaker to receive the compensation. Illg said the increase in compensation is necessary to prevent legislators from cycling in and out of positions. Younger lawmakers can’t afford to serve in the statehouse because the pay, which is a base salary of $16,800 annually,  is so low, he said in an interview earlier this month. “Most of our members here still work, and I hate to see the turnover we’ve had over the years,” he said. “I’d like to see people not be compromised while doing their regular job and their legislative job. It’s not asking much for compensation for these people. If all 144  legislators filed to receive their per diem for every extra eligible day under the bill, it would close the state an extra $2.4 million, according to the legislative fiscal analysis. This estimate does not include the extra travel reimbursements that lawmakers might receive. ...read more read less