As we have written multiple times, Pennsylvania’s legislature has still not passed a budget, despite a June 30 deadline.

We’re nearly 90 days past that point and despite multiple promises that a budget is near, nothing has been passed.

As we’ve also noted multiple times, Pennsylvania’s lawmakers are among the most highly paid in the nation and are part of one of only a handful of full-time legislatures in the U.S.

With a base salary of slightly more than $110,000 per year, lawmakers earn more individually than the median household income statewide, which according to the U.S. Census Bureau is slightly more than $73,000 per year.

A proposal from an Allegheny County Republican would tie annual pay raises for lawmakers to whether they pass a budget on time.

State Rep. Jeremy Shaffer wrote in a recent memo to fellow lawmakers that he hoped his proposal would make it more likely for a budget to get passed.

“I will soon be introducing legislation to further encourage timely completion of Pennsylvania’s budget process, by suspending the automatic pay raises/cost of living adjustments for legislators, the Governor, and Lt. Governor in any year in which the General Appropriations Act is not enacted by July 1,” he wrote.

We think that is an excellent idea and think it’s important for lawmakers to face consequences when they fail to do their job.

The missed budget deadline is causing real pain for school districts and municipalities statewide. Perhaps making legislators share some of that pain will encourage them to take their responsibilities seriously.

— JK