New York legislators pass bill raising their salary by 29%, making them nation's best-paid

Just in time for Christmas, New York legislators returned to the state capital Thursday to give themselves a nice holiday gift: a pay raise that would make them the nation's best-paid state lawmakers.

Members of the state Assembly and Senate would make a base salary of $142,000 under a bill they passed during a special session, a 29% raise over their salary of $110,000.

That would send them racing ahead of state lawmakers in California, who are now the nation's best-paid legislators with a yearly base pay of about $119,000, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.