State lawmakers may be heading back to Albany this week to give themselves a raise, or not. A bill was reportedly introduced late Monday, giving members of the state Assembly and Senate an annual salary of $142,000 starting next year, that’s a raise of $32,000. Stony Point and Orange County Assemblyman, Republican Colin Schmitt, says if they are called back to the capital, he’s going to vote “no”…
Rockland State Senator, Democrat Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, says if they have to go back to vote on pay raises, he’s also leaning “no”…
Neither State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins nor Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has officially said yet whether a special session of the Legislature will happen before the end of the year, though the submission of the pay raise bill could trigger the special session, during which any number of bills could come up for a vote. Assemblyman Schmitt gave up his 99th Assembly District seat and lost in his run for Congress against former Ulster County Executive, Democrat Pat Ryan. Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick lost in his re-election bid to Republican Bill Weber.