Despite reservations by Governor George Pataki, members of both the New York State Assembly and Senate recently voted a 38 percent pay hike for themselves, the first such raise in nine years.

Currently, state lawmakers labor under a yearly salary of $57,500, with $80 a day in spending money. If the new legislation is eventually signed into law by the governor, state lawmakers will make $79,500 a year. Daily stipends would also go up. In all, lawmakers would make more than $100,000 in annual payments.

Among assemblymembers who represent various parts of the Roslyn area, the vote was divided. Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli (D.-Thomaston) voted for the pay hike, while Maureen O'Connell (R.-East Williston) voted no. Assemblyman David Sidikman (D.-Bethpage) was absent for the vote.

From the Nassau County delegation, only Earlene Hill (D.-Hempstead) and Harvey Weisenberg (D.-Long Branch) joined Mr. DiNapoli in voting for the raise. Every Nassau County Republican (with the exception of Gregory Becker, who like Mr. Sidikman, was absent) voted against the pay raise.

In the State Senate, there were no such divisions. Senator Michael Balboni, who represents the Roslyn area, joined the entire Long Island delegation---all Republicans---in voting for the pay raise.

Explaining her no vote, Assemblywoman O'Connell said that a 38 percent pay raise done "at one time" was too high. A cost of living increase that wasn't done incrementally, the assemblywoman added, was too much, "particularly at 38 percent after an election." Ms. O'Connell also said she could understand why some lawmakers, who have been in the Assembly for 10 years without a raise, might vote for the bill.

Among those voting yes was Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli. After 10 years without any legislation on salaries, the assemblyman felt it was time "to evaluate the level of compensation for lawmakers."

Mr. DiNapoli said he has long supported an independent commission to both evaluate the work involved in the Assembly, compare it with other states and then, make recommendations. This, he said, would be preferrable to the Legislature itself coming up with the numbers.

Mr. DiNapoli also said that working in the Assembly is a "full time job" for him, adding that unlike other lawmakers, he is not a lawyer with reliable outside income.

"For the amount of work we do, and in order to have a good mix of people, to keep the salary flat is of questionable value," he said.

The proposed pay raise, Mr. DiNapoli added, reflects the realities of the downstate economy, with its cost of living and cost of housing that is substantially higher than what exists in upstate New York.

"Full time legislators have to live here year after year without re-evaluation of compensation," he said. "If people are doing the job, salary enhancement is not unreasonable."

Hoping to sweeten the pot for a reluctant Gov. Pataki, the Assembly increased the governor's salary to $179,000, while the state's lieutenant governor pay was upped to $151,500. That total will also be the annual pay for both the state comptroller and attorney general. State Supreme Court justices were not forgotten. Their annual salaries will go up to $136,700.

Gov. Pataki has threatened to veto the bill. As of this writing, a compromise in which the governor would sign the bill in return for legislation establishing numerous charter schools throughout for the state continues to be discussed.

If the pay raises become law, New York state lawmakers will become the most well-compensated in the nation. Currently, California lawmakers receive a $78,624 annual salary, followed by Pennsylvania, which pays $58,341 to its state lawmakers. On the other end of the scale, legislators in New Mexico work for no salary, but make $125 a day in stipends. New Hampshire lawmakers work for a $100 a year, but accept no stipends.

Ironically, the vote came the same week a front page story in Investors Business Daily revealed that real income for working New Yorkers has fallen 5.4 percent since 1991, when the current economic expansion began. And the last recession had hit New York particularly hard, due mainly to the 1987 stock market crash and the continued loss of manufacturing jobs.