All over Michigan, working families are – with a great degree of misfortune – starting to grow rather accustomed to hearing the dreaded phrase “pay cut” uttered out loud. Now, however, it appears as though the Michigan legislature is ready to join us in what has been one of the most catastrophic economic downturns in recent memory, of which one can never comment enough on.

That’s right – today, the State House voted in favor of Senate Concurrent Resolution 11 (SCR11), which cuts lawmakers’ pay by 10%. We here at Progress Michigan have been fighting upwards since 2007, when a measure like this one first began to generate buzz at the Capitol.

The last time this idea was thrown about, the Senate seemingly balked at the idea, choosing instead of passing it to dismiss it as a case that required “further study” before submitting approval. But now both the Senate and the House have approved of a plan that will render a 10% salary cut for Michigan lawmakers, and give them an avenue for “sharing the pain” of the millions of suffering Michigan families.

Action like this is really long overdue. With these legislative pay cuts, our great state could see more money poured back into our struggling economy, rather than into the pockets of already overpaid legislators. This will also allow for a much-needed connection to be developed between our lawmakers and residents that will, with any amount of luck, spring forth a dialoguing process that could put a stop to this economic recession, once and for all.

It seems as though things are starting to look a bit sunnier outside, and that’s not just thanks to the blossoming springtime.