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Amid Budget Crisis, Oklahoma Legislators To Receive Pay Cut

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An Oklahoma regulatory board announced last week that it would cut the salaries of the state’s legislators, in an effort to ease the state’s ongoing budget woes.

As KFOR reports, the state’s Legislative Compensation Board plans to cut state lawmaker salaries by almost 9 percent. The announcement comes as the Legislature continues to be gridlocked in the eighth week of a special session.

Last month, the chairman of the Legislative Compensation Board said of legislators, “They’re not coming together and taking care of business. They need to be accountable. And we need to make sure that we send the correct message to their performance.

State Rep. Mickey Dollens, a Democrat, agreed with the board’s decision.

“I think it’s only fair,” he said. “Legislators aren’t doing their job, they don’t deserve to get paid for their job.”

While legislators will soon be making about $35,000 a year, many of the heads of state agencies still bring home six-figure salaries.