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Bill To Cap State Employee Pay At $170,000 Dies In Senate Committee

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - The California cash crisis is front and center again at the Capitol. Lawmakers defeated an effort to cap all public employee salaries at $170,000.

An attempt to cap the highest public employee salaries in the state died in a Senate committee. State Senator Joel Anderson wrote the bill that was killed.

"I'll give you an example. We have librarians who work for the state of California that make $230,000 when we know the national average is $55,000," he told CBS13.

But in this era of budget scrutiny, the Department of Finance shows that California senators' proposed compensation will actually go up next year, too, when 40 senators will earn a combined $4.7 million.

A Senate spokesperson says that's not a salary hike but likely an increase in health care premiums.

Senate travel and per diem are also going up to $1.8 million, almost double the year before. Finance documents show those figures are offset by cuts in auto expenses - state cars were taken back - and meal budgets.

Overall the Finance Department shows the Senate will cut $400,000 from its spending this year.

Still, Rebecca Washam was at the Capitol protesting Tuesday.

"You know, year after year, cuts, cuts, cuts," she said. "There has to be another way, another answer."

California is facing a $9 billion deficit. That's on the heels of $26, $19 and $60 billion deficits in the three years prior.

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