“Making $82,000 a year is an absolute insult to the people you represent.”

New Jersey state Rep. Brian Bergen, regarding a proposal to increase the annual salaries of state lawmakers from $49,000 to $82,000, a 67 percent increase. New Jersey legislators haven't given themselves a raise since 2002. Legislators lifting their own pay almost always pay a political price, but the proposed increase would still leave New Jersey lawmakers making less than their peers in neighboring New York and Pennsylvania. (Associated Press — Jan. 8, 2024)