Alabama state employees would see their first cost-of-living raise in a decade under a bill that passed the state Senate yesterday.
Senators voted nearly unanimously to approve a 3 percent pay raise for state employees. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for debate.
Republican Senator Clyde Chambliss says “This is a long time coming. That being said, we’ve had some difficult waters economically between then and now.”
State employees haven’t had a cost-of-living pay increase since 2008, although there have been merit-based raises issued since then.
Senators also approved a one-time bonus for retired state and education employees. Retirees would get $1 for every month of service with the state. That measure also now heads to the House of Representatives.
Lawmakers are also expected to approve a 2.5 percent cost-of-living raise for teachers and public education employees. That proposal has cleared the Alabama House of Representatives and is headed to the Senate.