The next governor of Georgia will not only inherit the usual trappings of the office, but 25 percent more money than his or her predecessor under legislation introduced Thursday in the state House.
House Bill 202 would set the state’s chief executive’s pay at $175,000, up from the $139,339 Gov. Nathan Deal currently earns. Deal is barred from seeking a third term in 2018 so the bill does not affect him.
Of course a nice salary is only one perk of the job. The governor also gets a 24,000-square-foot mansion in Buckhead, private driver and security, travel and more.
Three heavy hitters of the House have sponsored the bill, led by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jay Powell, R-Camilla, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Terry England, R-Auburn, and House Majority Caucus Chairman Matt Hatchett, R-Dublin.
Deal's office has said the next governor should see a raise, given the challenges of the office.
Deal's state salary is in the middle range of gubernatorial pay, according to the Council of State Governments. Salaries range from $70,000 in Maine to the $190,000 that Pennsylvania's top executive is paid. Several governors have taken voluntary pay cuts or refused any salary at all, including Florida's Rick Scott and Alabama's Robert Bentley.
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