Lawmakers’ pay influences debates and votes on bills

BY JESSE PAUL AND ELLIOTT WENZLER THE COLORADO SUN

e 100 state lawmakers in Colorado earn about $42,000 a year for their work at the Capitol, placing them in the middle of the pack compared to their counterparts across the U.S. when it comes to how much they’re paid to draft, debate and vote on bills.

at in uences who runs to be a state representative or senator, which in turn determines which legislation passes or fails.

A Colorado Sun analysis of state lawmaker salaries compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures places Colorado 19th on the salary list. Colorado legislators earn more than counterparts in any bordering state except Oklahoma. State senators whose terms began before January earn a salary of $41,449. Senators whose terms began in January, as well as all House members, make $43,977.

e salaries are set at 25% of a county judge’s salary, which through 2026 is $175,908. Salaries for state lawmakers, as well as state-level statewide elected o cials, are recalculated every four years based on changes to judicial o cers’ salaries.

Colorado lawmakers who live within 50 miles of the Capitol — a large portion, if not the majority, of the legislature — are also eligible to receive a per diem of $45 for each of the 120 days the General Assembly is in session each year, which adds up to $5,400. ose who live more than 50 miles from the Capitol are entitled to about $237 per legislative day, which totals $28,440. at’s in addition to mileage.

For reference, the median household income in Colorado is $80,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. e median gross annual rent in Colorado is $17,244.

State Sen. James Coleman, a Den- ver Democrat, said it’s di cult to nd a place to live in Colorado on a $42,000 salary. “Absolutely I think it picks and chooses who can participate,” he said.

Oklahoma lawmakers make $47,500, while lawmakers in Nebraska earn $12,000. Lawmakers in Utah earn $285 per legislative day and lawmakers in Kansas earn $88.66 per legislative day of service, in addition to about $7,000 to defray interim costs. In Wyoming, lawmak- ers earn $150 per day they work. (Lawmakers in all of those states are entitled to per diem, though in Utah the bene t can only be claimed by lawmakers who live more than 100 miles from Salt Lake City, the state capital.)

In New Mexico, lawmakers are paid no salary.

New York lawmakers make $142,000, the most of any state