See How Jindal Explains the Pay Hike Veto

 

Today, I vetoed the legislature’s bill to increase their pay, S.B. 672.

 

I have opposed this pay from the very beginning. A doubling of legislative pay that takes effect prior to the next election is clearly excessive and is bad policy. This bill would also have set up a system to give legislators automatic pay raises in the future without additional legislative votes, which provides an unacceptable level of accountability.

 

I clearly made a mistake by telling the legislature that I would allow them to handle their own affairs, and as with all mistakes, you can either correct them or compound them. I chose to correct my mistake by vetoing this bill.

 

I had previously stated that I would let this bill become law without my signature because I did not want to give legislators any excuse to slow down the momentum of our reform movement here in Louisiana. It turns out this is an unsustainable position. I have come to realize that the reforms I have been fighting for are simply incompatible with this legislative pay raise. The bottom line is that allowing this excessive legislative pay raise to become law would so significantly undercut our reform agenda, and so significantly diminish the people’s confidence in their own government, that I could not let it become law. So, I have vetoed the bill.

 

I am looking forward to tackling the many challenges facing our state…there are roads to build, jobs to create, business to open, and kids to educate.

 

I want to thank you, and all the citizens of Louisiana, who have become so vocal on this issue and so involved in the process, and ask you to stay involved. There is a lot more to do. Don’t tune out or stop paying attention to the political process now. This government belongs to you; it is your business. I’m going to need your help.
 

Sincerely,

 

Governor Bobby Jindal