Want a job with a lot of time off? Become a Wisconsin legislator

Do you have some time off planned this year? Members of the Wisconsin Legislature do. They ended their legislative session yesterday, and are now done for the year. Yes, our elected state officials in Madison have no more work on their calendar for the remainder of 2020. On yesterday’s final session of 2020, lawmakers scrambled to pass a flurry of bills so they could get their vacation started. It shouldn’t be this way. There is no reason lawmakers could not extend their session to give proposed bills the debate and consideration they deserve. The bigger question is why, with lawmakers done for the year before February even ends, Wisconsin has a full-time legislature. Our state lawmakers are paid $53,000 a year, and can make another $10,000 a year in travel and lodging reimbursement. While Wisconsin lawmakers are the ninth highest paid among the 50 state legislatures, Wisconsin has the smallest populations among states with full-time legislatures. If Wisconsin’s legislature is really full-time, but takes 10 months of the year off, then clearly there isn’t enough work to justify them being full-time. It is time to stop the charade. We can’t afford to provide full-time pay and benefits for what is clearly a part-time job.