Besides having one of the highest property-tax burdens in the country, the state has one of the most expensive legislatures.

The Legislature's budget is 12.1 percent higher than in the 2000-01 fiscal year, due in part to increases in staff salaries. . . In a Siena College poll last month, 47 percent of voters gave the Legislature an "F" for its work on the state budget and 24 percent said lawmakers' efforts merited a "D."

New York trails only California and Michigan in annual pay for lawmakers, and California and Penn for the overall cost of running the state legislative branch. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) found that California's Legislature spent the most in the 2007-08 fiscal year -- $336.2 million, followed by Pennsylvania at $319.2 million and New York at $216.3 million. . . The California legislature is full time at $95,291. New York Elected officials receive almost the same $79,500 and about 15,000 for Lulus. Lawmakers get their lulus regardless of how many times their committees meet -- even though some met as few as three times this year. The lulus range from $9,000 to $41,500, which Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, and Senate President Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, receive.

Beyond the salaries and lulus, New York lawmakers whose districts aren't close to Albany pocket $171 a day when they are at the Capitol for session days and other legislative business. This means nearly all lawmakers are eligible for per diems: senators who live at least 35 miles away from Albany and Assembly members who live at least 50 miles away collect the $171 per day. . . In 1960s, just 18 legislators got these special payments to over 90% receive Lulus

So far this year, New York lawmakers have racked up about $2.2 million in costs to taxpayers for per diems, in large part because the state budget was among the latest ever adopted. It passed Aug. 3, days before a new record for dysfunction would have been set. Between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010, the state paid out roughly $3 million in per diems.

Assemblyman Richard Brodsky runs one of the most expensive legislative offices in Albany.

Platinum Legislature: Taxpayers hurting, but Albany keeps running up the tab (Ithaca Journal)

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