Washington’s Lt. Gov. Denny Heck asked the Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials to increase the pay for the state’s lawmakers. He said their current pay is not commensurate with their growing responsibilities. (Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard)
State lawmakers in Washington will get a 14% raise over the next two years, pushing their annual pay above $70,000, under a recommendation adopted Thursday by a citizen salary-setting panel.
Legislators, who currently earn $61,997 annually , would receive a 7% increase on July 1, 2025 and another 7% a year later.
Statewide executives and judges will get wage hikes too, though increases settled on by the Washington Citizens’ Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials are not quite as hefty.
Washington’s nine executives – governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor, superintendent of public instruction, insurance commissioner, treasurer and commissioner of public lands – would get a 3% cost of living adjustment next July and another 2% on July 1, 2026. Judges, including state Supreme Court justices, would receive boosts of 4% in July and 3% a year later.