The State Officers Compensation Commission has approved a system of automatic salary adjustments for Alaska State political officials, a formula that will allow their salaries to ease higher with inflation.
The three-member commission has been debating the new system for several years, with the aim of removing salaries of politically sensitive positions from the political pressures that have kept them far lower than the rate of inflation.
In 2009 and 2011, salary increases for legislators, department heads, the governor, and the lieutenant governor became law as they were not rejected by the Legislature after being proposed by the commission.
However, 2014 recommendations for executive salaries were rejected. In 2016, a policy allowing deputy commissioners to retain higher salaries when promoted became law. No salary changes were recommended in 2020.
In 2021 and 2022, the commission met multiple times, issuing reports that found salaries had not kept pace with inflation. In 2023, the panel recommended salary increases for the governor, lieutenant governor, department heads, and legislators, which became law. The commission met again on Nov. 14, 2024, to propose new preliminary recommendations:
- Increase the salaries of the governor, Lieutenant Governor, department heads and legislators every two years (to coincide with the statutory meeting requirements of the commission). These increases should be tied to the CPI.
- The CPI increases will be calculated off the current base pay.
To keep up with inflation, an $84,000 salary in 2015 would need to be $111,851.98 today, according to the Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator.
Currently, the governor makes $176,000 a year, and commissioners earn around $168,000 per year. Legislators earn $84,000. The new system will tie their earnings to the Anchorage Consumer Price Index.
The commission’s recommendations will become law unless the Alaska Legislature rejects the decision. The new system would be in place following the 2026 election.
Read the entire final proposal by the Alaska State Officers Compensation Commission at this link.
Thereby raising the cost of living of everyone else that works in the private sector jobs……..
Exactly.
This shouldn’t happen until we start seeing energy production in Alaska again. To raise salaries now wouldn’t account for the changes more energy would bring to the cost of goods and services and may only exacerbate inflation.
Like most middle class professionals I haven’t had a raise 6 years. It seems that only that they only people getting raises are those artificially mandated by the government. Unskilled, entry-level jobs and politicians looking out for themselves. On a related note… I was just notified that my property taxes will be going up again. When you include the higher cost of food, medical care, fuel, gas and electricity… it’s a wonder that the middle class hasn’t slipped into poverty. Well… if things don’t change, it’s coming and it will happen all at once. We are near collapse now and only because the “Invisible Hand” economic theory, also known as the Free Market isn’t allowed to control things.
This is just obfuscation and fraud to insulate the legislature from culpability in advocating for more money. These people, in the majority, do NOT do the job they are sent to Juneau to do, so I see no reason to reward them for being TERRIBLE stewards of our state money.
Huh. I work in a sensitive position in the private sector. No one voted for a raise for me. And no one in the private sector is getting pay adjustments to match inflation. Why is this even a discussion at the state of Alaska?
More of our PFD is gone to politicians.
I have been stating for awhile that unless the Alaskan citizen gets out to vote we will see 100% of the PFD go to government.
Did the private sector get big raises from already six figure incomes?