Statement From Senator Mattera Regarding Legislative Pay Raises

In this season of giving, it is truly troubling that State Legislative leaders are instead aiming to take more from the pockets of our already over-burdened residents and I will proudly be voting no to this money-grab.  At a time when our families are struggling to pay their bills due to ill-conceived state and federal policies while also dealing with a crime problem due to the same mismanagement, the only answer that Senate and Assembly Democrats have is to increase their pay by a whopping 29 percent???

This will cost our taxpayers at least $6.5 million per year and we should be working to find ways to provide our families more money - not add to their burden.  Over the next two years, the state budget will be more difficult to balance since federal funding that was there during COVID may not be anymore and every single state elected official should be searching for ways to help ease the impact on our residents.

It is time to balance the budget, spur our economy, protect our families, get our small businesses fully back on their feet and work for the people of New York - the ones who just elected us to our jobs less than two months ago.  Now is the time to worry about the bank accounts of those we serve, not ourselves.

Instead, we have this clandestine effort being undertaken in the middle of the night during the holiday season and every single New Yorker deserves better than this.

This is a holiday gift that amounts to a stocking full of coal for New York taxpayers and I will be a very proud NO.