MERKT CALLS FOR 10% ROLLBACK IN LEGISLATIVE SALARIESAssemblyman Richard Merkt today announced that he will introduce legislation next week in the Assembly to roll back legislative salaries by 10%. The state’s 120 senators and Assembly members currently each receive $49,000 per year, plus benefits, for what is classified as a part-time job. Under Merkt’s proposal, legislative salaries in each house would be reduced to $44,100. “With the state now experiencing a severe budget crisis and asking state employees to sacrifice to help, the entire Legislature should lead by example and accept a modest reduction in legislative salaries,” declared Merkt. If enacted into law, Merkt’s proposal would save the state more than $600,000 a year, but Merkt believes that the significance of the action goes far beyond just the potential savings to the state Treasury. “Legislators voting to reduce their own pay by just 10% would send a powerful message to both state employees and taxpayers in general that the Legislature understands the gravity of the situation and is serious about solving the current budget crisis,” explained Merkt. “It would also show that legislators themselves are willing to sacrifice something, rather than merely asking others to bear the burden of the state’s budget woes.” Merkt noted that, with more than 300,000 Garden State residents currently out of work, the people of New Jersey are looking for some sign that their elected state leaders are willing to do more than just pay lip service to reducing the cost of state government. “At a time when hundreds of thousands of our state’s residents have lost their jobs – and many more are taking wage cuts - it’s just not good enough for lawmakers in Trenton to stick to ‘business as usual,’ without any personal sacrifice at all,” stated Merkt. “If legislators take a small hit to their own wallets, perhaps they will gain a deeper sympathy for what the average New Jersey citizen is suffering through in these grueling economic times.”                                          #####