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California Assemblywoman Wants Legislature To Work Part-Time

SACRAMENTO (KCBS)— A Bakersfield lawmaker wants California's state legislators to work part time and take a pay cut.

Republican Assemblywoman Shannon Grove is teaming with Ted Costa of People's Advocate in hopes of collecting 807,615 signatures needed to put the measure on the November ballot next year.

KCBS' Margie Shafer Reports:

Grove, head of the political watchdog group, proposed a constitutional amendment on Friday that calls for lawmakers' pay to be cut from more than $7,940 per month to $1,500 a month, or $18,000 annually.

Lawmakers would meet for 30 days in January each year, recess and then reconvene in May for 60 days.

"Well I don't think I could do the job in quarter time because it wouldn't get done," Assemblyman Jerry Hill said.

Hill added that the need for legislation doesn't just occur once a year.

"There are times during the year when we will have legislation regarding clarification of the tax code so that companies can come to California," Hill said.

Emergency legislation that clarified tax code, allowed SunEdison to relocate from Maryland to Belmont, bringing 500 jobs to California.

Hill also said that such an arrangement would put more power in the hands of the governor and that oversight is required.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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