But the measure that the Fountain Hills Republican wants to put on the 2026 ballot actually would do more than create future inflationary adjustments to the current $24,000 salary.

Much more.

That鈥檚 because Kavanagh crafted his to be retroactive to the last time voters approved a salary increase. That was 1998.

And given the inflation that has occurred since then, voter approval of his plan in 2026 would immediately turn that $24,000 salary into $48,000 鈥� or more.

Kavanagh, however, said that increase is justified given the lack of any adjustment in what lawmakers earn in the last 27 years 鈥� 28 by the time the issue goes on the ballot.

鈥淭hat is what voters wanted us to have when they voted in 1998,鈥欌€� he told Capitol Media Services. 鈥淚t鈥檚 now worth a lot less than that,鈥� Kavanagh said.

鈥淚 do not think those voters wanted their $24,000 raise diluted by inflation to about $11,000,鈥欌€� he said, based on his calculations of how the buying power of that 1998 figure has decreased.

What voters want, however, may be a bit difficult to discern.

Under the 蜜柚直播 Constitution, lawmakers cannot set their own salaries.

Instead, the Commission on Salaries for Elective State Officers is supposed to meet on a biennial basis. And among its chores is to make recommendations for legislative salaries. Those recommendations can be enacted only with voter approval.

That鈥檚 how the $15,000 salary paid to lawmakers until the 1998 vote came to be $24,000.

Voters did have a chance to boost it since then. The commission recommended setting the wages at between $30,000 and $36,000 in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. All were rejected by voters.

And since then?

Then-Gov. Jan Brewer refused to name members to the panel for four years, saying it was inappropriate to consider pay hikes for elected officials during 鈥渄ifficult times.鈥欌€� She did finally make selections in time for the issue to be put on the 2014 ballot 鈥� though she openly opposed that proposal to boost pay to $35,000.

It fared even worse than the others, with just 32% of voters approving the plan.

Since then, however, the commission has made no recommendations.

Voter approval of the Sen. Kavanagh measure to link legislative pay to inflation, back dated to 1998, would still allow, but not require, a special salary commission to recommend 鈥� and put on future ballots 鈥� proposals to increase salaries even more.

But that still leaves the retroactivity provision in SCR 1003. It would be asking voters to approve a salary in the $48,000 range when they had previously, albeit not recently, rejected far lower figures.

Kavanagh, for his part, said he鈥檚 not worried that voters will be scared off once they learn the size of the salary boost they are being asked to approve. He said they will understand that lawmakers simply want to keep their pay even with inflation, even if back-dating the measure makes up for decades where voters didn鈥檛 see fit to give them raises.

The proposal has gained preliminary approval of the Senate and now needs a roll-call vote before going to the House.

As a ballot measure, it would not need approval of Gov. Katie Hobbs.

The issue of legislative pay has been a bipartisan concern for years.

On paper, being a lawmaker is supposed to be a part-time job from January into April. But sessions have lasted into June 鈥� and beyond. And there are legislative hearings and constituent meetings throughout much of the rest of the year.

That has made it difficult for some individuals who need other jobs to serve.

Most recently, Mesa Democratic Sen. Eva Burch, just reelected to a second term last year, announced she is quitting effective Friday.

Some of it, she said in a statement, was her belief that, as a Democrat in a Republican-controlled Senate, she will 鈥渉ave more and better opportunities outside the Legislature to work on the things I can about in a way that yields results.鈥欌€�

But that鈥檚 not all.

鈥淚t must also be said that I have been struggling to make ends meet and to find balance with my legislative work and my job as a healthcare provider,鈥欌€� said Burch, who has credentials as a nurse practitioner.

鈥淚 know that I am not the first, nor will be the last, good person to find themselves a casualty of legislative pay,鈥欌€� she said 鈥淚 hope the future will see 蜜柚直播 lawmakers earning a living wage so that our constituents can be represented by working-class citizens who understand the pressure of raising a family and struggling to make ends meet here in 蜜柚直播.鈥欌€�

Kavanagh said one problem with the current system 鈥� even if the salary commission were to meet and make recommendations 鈥� is that the outcome of any vote could depend on a lot more than whether lawmakers actually deserve a raise.

鈥淰ery often, the mood of the public based on other events the Legislature鈥檚 associated with sometimes determines whether they鈥檙e for us or against us,鈥欌€� Kavanagh said.

Put another way, his plan would make irrelevant whether voters like or hate what lawmakers are doing.

Kavanagh pointed out that 蜜柚直播ns voted twice, in 2006 and 2016, to make automatic adjustments in the state鈥檚 minimum wage. That has boosted the state minimum to $14.70; the federal minimum remains at $7.25, a figure that Congress hasn鈥檛 adjusted since 2009.

鈥淚f the voters said inflation鈥檚 OK for the minimum wage, I don鈥檛 think voters would be opposed to this,鈥欌€� Kavanagh said.