STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator CARMEN F. AMATO, JR.
District 9 (Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Provides for cost-of-living adjustments to allowance for legislative member staff services.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning the allowance for legislative member staff services and amending P.L.1948, c.16.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.1948, c.16 (C.52:10A-1) is amended to read as follows:
1. a. Members of the Senate and General Assembly shall receive annually, during the term for which they shall have been elected and while they shall hold their office, compensation in the sum of $49,000 beginning with the 2002 legislative year and thereafter and $82,000 beginning with the 2026 legislative year and thereafter.
The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly, each by virtue of his office, shall receive an additional allowance, equal to 1/3 of his compensation as a member. The compensation herein provided shall be paid to each member upon his qualifying into office as such member, and the additional allowance herein provided to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly shall be paid upon his qualifying into office as such officer.
b. Each member of the Senate and General Assembly shall be provided with an allowance of $150,000 during each annual legislative session for member staff services. There shall be appropriated annually to the Legislature, from the general revenues of the State, the amount necessary to provide such an allowance to each member.
Beginning on January 1 next following the enactment of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and on January 1 of each year thereafter, the amount of the annual allowance for member staff services shall be adjusted annually by the State Treasurer in direct proportion to the percent change in the Consumer Price Index over a 12-month period beginning November 1 and ending October 31. For the purpose of this section, "Consumer Price Index" means the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island Metropolitan Area, All Items (1982-84=100), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the United States Department of Labor. The State Treasurer shall determine the amount of the adjustment by December 1 of each year and the adjustment shall become effective for the calendar year following the determination beginning January 1 of each calendar year. An adjustment in the annual allowance shall be made only if the percent change in the Consumer Price Index for the period specified is greater than zero. If the reference base of the index is changed, the index used to determine the Consumer Price Index shall be the index converted to the new base by standard statistical methods. The first adjustment determination shall be made as soon as practicable next following the enactment of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill) and shall be applicable to adjustments commencing on January 1 following the enactment of P.L. , c. (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
(cf: P.L.2023, c.349, s.2)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill provides for cost-of-living adjustments to the allowance for Legislative member staff services. Under current law, members of the Legislature are permitted a fixed allowance of $150,000 for staff services.
Under the bill, the amount of the annual allowance will be adjusted annually by the State Treasurer in direct proportion to the percent change in the Consumer Price Index over a 12-month period. An adjustment in the annual allowance will be made only if the percent change in the Consumer Price Index for the period specified is greater than zero. The State Treasurer will determine the amount of the adjustment by December 1 of each year and the adjustment will become effective during the calendar year following the determination, beginning on or after January 1 of each calendar year.