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NYS Lawmakers Who Moonlight for Big $$$ Now Face Limits on Income

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State lawmakers who earn major dollars on the side may have a tough road ahead in 2019, with new, strict limits on outside income taking effect.

About of third of the 213 state legislators hold down second jobs, and of the 79 incumbents who represent New York City in Albany, 15 reported outside salaries, according to the New York Post.

“A state commission issued a ruling Monday giving lawmakers three years of raises that will bring their current $79,500 salaries up to $130,000 — a 64% increase — by 2021,” the piece said. “In exchange for the raise, the legislators’ first in two decades, the panel mandated that they limit their outside earnings to 15% of their base salary. That’s a cap of $19,500 when the top pay level kicks in.”

State Sen. Andrew Lanza, a Staten Island Republican, is the biggest outside earner in the city delegation, the Post noted. “He pulls down between $270,000 to $480,000 as a personal-injury attorney in his spare time, according to state public-disclosure statements where lawmakers report income in a range.

“Another four high-rollers earn in the $100,000-and-up range: Sen. Luis Sepulveda (D-Bronx), Assemblyman Clyde Vanel (D-Queens), Assemblyman Dan Quart (D-Manhattan) and Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Queens). All but Weprin, an investment banker, are attorneys,” said the Post. “Five more bring in between $50,000 and $100,000 with an assortment of jobs. Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez (D-Manhattan) is a financial advisor, and Sen. Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn) is business consultant who also teaches at Touro College. Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon (D-Brooklyn) is a lawyer, while Assemblyman Michael Blake (D-Bronx) does political consulting.”

Gov. Cuomo recently said he believes a decision by a commission to tie pay rates for state lawmakers to various reforms will likely be challenged in court.

“The four-member pay commission created by Cuomo and the Legislature as part of this year’s state budget agreed last week to raise the current $79,500 salaries of lawmakers to $130,000 over three years while also restricting legislator outside income and eliminating most legislative stipends,” the Daily News reported.

“I’m sure there will be a challenge to the commission report because the Republicans in the Legislature don’t want the ban on outside income,” Cuomo said during an appearance on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” Monday. “If there’s any question as to the commission’s authority, it’s very simple for them to remedy it, come back in January and pass a separate law that enacts the same congressional limits,” Cuomo said.

“In recent testimony before the pay raise commission, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said he believed it could be illegal to trade for a pay raise by enacting reforms. But he also indicated his Democratic members would be willing to consider the idea of a ban on outside income, without having committed to it,” the Daily News said.

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