Even though its the offseason, Kansas Rep. Rui Xu says being a legislator is a full-time job.
Over the course of a week, on top of his part-time gig as a freelance marketer, the Democrat spends 20 to 30 hours meeting with constituents in Johnson County, going to events, working on legislation or helping city council candidates run for office.
Xu isnt paid for that work. Like every other member of the Kansas Legislature, he only draws a salary from the state during the legislative session, from about January to May. This year, his first in office, he got $19,300.
The typical Kansas legislator makes about $21,900 during session, according to a report from the legislatures audit division. Thats less than what lawmakers make in many other states. Oklahoma and Missouri pay more than $35,000 a year, plus living expenses.
Its not easy to convince voters that legislators need a pay raise. But some legislators and citizens argue Kansas lawmakers pay isnt enough to compensate for what they do year-round, and it could impact who runs for office and what he or she does after winning a seat.
The makeup of our legislature does not reflect where Kansas is as a whole, Xu said. A House of Representatives should be fairly representative of the population.
How the pay breaks down
Kansas bases lawmaker pay on a daily rate while the legislature is in session: $88.66 a day, plus a per-diem allowance of $149 to cover food and housing. The state report added those numbers and multiplied them by 92 days, the average length of a session since 2000.
In reality, many lawmakers make more or less than the estimated $21,900. Some lawmakers get reimbursed for mileage, some are taxed on their per diems and some pay into their pensions which are tied to what legislators would make if they worked for the state year-round. Plus, representatives and senators who lead their party or chair committees are paid thousands of dollars extra.
All of those factors affect the baseline salary. Data from the state employee salary website shows that some representatives made less than $10,000, while some senators made more than $40,000 in fiscal year 2018.
Age, wealth gap
Some legislators and observers say low pay discourages middle- and low-income people from running for office and instead favors wealthier, older people who are retired or have jobs that allow them to take off for several months of the year.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 66% of Kansas legislators were baby boomers in 2016, compared to 29% of the state population. Only 22% of Kansas lawmakers were millennials or Gen X, even though those age groups made up 58% of the state.
In 2015, according to NCSL data, 21% of Kansas lawmakers were business owners, 11% were retired, 10% were attorneys and 7% worked in agriculture. Eighty-nine percent of lawmakers that year were white, compared to 85% of all Kansans.
At 30 years old, Xu is one of the younger lawmakers in Topeka. He and his wife are expecting their first child later this month. Hes said been planning around his extra family responsibilities, but the instability of his salary has made that harder.
I dont want to get rich doing this, but I dont want to have to think about, whats the next couple of years going to look like? Xu said. I dont know what to budget for next year, I honestly dont.
He also doesnt want to complain too much about a job he loves.
