Those elected to Colorado’s legislative seats and statewide offices in November can expect larger paychecks than elected officials receive today.
A set of pay increases resulting from a law passed in 2024 will automatically take effect Jan. 1 unless the legislature makes changes this year. The measure, House Bill 1059, created an independent commission to examine and set salaries for elected officials.
The cost to the budget for the first full year is estimated at $400,000, according to nonpartisan staff.
The commission’s December report said salaries in Colorado are inadequate “considering the significance of the work performed,” and that statewide officers are paid 14% to 35% below the median salaries of their counterparts in other states. The commission reviewed data from the National Conference of State Legislatures and adjusted it for Colorado’s cost of labor.
Under the recommendations, the next attorney general would receive a 45% increase, bringing the salary to $170,000 a year. The state treasurer would receive a 28% increase, the secretary of state 26% and the governor 11%.
State lawmakers are in line for the smallest increase, at 6%. That would bring legislators to nearly $51,000 a year, roughly the median salary of lawmakers in peer states. That figure does not include a daily session per diem lawmakers may claim, which adds up to about $33,000 for lawmakers from outside the Denver area and about $9,000 for Denver-area lawmakers.
Per diems are tied to federal rates, with nonmetro members receiving 90% of the federal rate and metro members receiving 25%.
State Rep. Naquetta Ricks, an Aurora Democrat and the main sponsor of the pay commission study, said legislative salaries are currently structured for people of means who can afford to spend four months at the Capitol. She said she did not have a specific salary target in mind but wanted to make it easier for people from all walks of life to consider running for office.
“I think people should get paid what they work for,” she said.
Ricks initially believed lawmakers would have to approve the commission’s recommendations. Instead, according to nonpartisan legislative staff, the salary increases do not require a bill and will take effect automatically.
The pay raises come during a difficult fiscal year for the state. Lawmakers spent much of the legislative session cutting public services to close a projected $1.5 billion shortfall in the budget year that begins July 1.
“We are cutting everywhere, so it does feel a little tone deaf,” said Kelly Mayr, a parent caregiver of a permanently disabled young adult from Highlands Ranch. “How we spend our money tells people what we value.”
Medicaid growth is a major contributor to the shortfall, driven by higher costs, expanded programs and increased use of services. While the budget is not final, lawmakers have proposed cuts to services for people with disabilities and their caregivers. Medicaid providers would receive a 2% across-the-board cut, and state workers would not receive the 3.5% cost-of-living increase previously planned.
Under the Colorado Constitution, lawmakers cannot vote to change their own pay during the middle of their terms. That is why the current pay increases were set in motion two years ago and passed by a previous legislature, though some current lawmakers voted for the measure.
Even without the 2024 law or the commission’s report, lawmakers would still receive a raise. In 2017, the legislature passed a bipartisan law indexing legislative salaries to inflation, with adjustments every two years starting in 2025. State economists project legislative salaries would reach about $50,000 next year regardless.
Legislative pay can vary based on per diem claims. Lawmakers may claim per diem for all 120 days of the session and during the interim for committee hearings. Legislative leaders, including the House speaker, Senate president and majority and minority leaders, may also receive a leadership per diem during the interim. That amount will increase from $99 a day to $193 per day in 2027.
“They can get per diem for any day that they work in the capacity of their leadership position when the legislature is not in session,” said Natalie Castle, director of the nonpartisan Legislative Council Staff.
Metro lawmakers also receive daily travel reimbursements to the Capitol, while out-of-metro members are reimbursed for one round trip to the Capitol per week.
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