House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, and Senate Majority Caucus Chair Ed Murray, D-Seattle, asked the Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials today not to give them a raise.

Kessler argued that raising their $42,000-per-year salary seemed unfair when people across the state are losing their jobs and struggling to make ends meet. The commission met at a downtown Olympia hotel to hear testimony from lawmakers on whether they should give officials in the executive, judicial and legislative branches of state government a raise.

"I sincerely believe we're all in this together," Kessler testified before the commission. "We're all tightening our belts."

While Murray agreed that legislators should not receive a raise, he said the commission should give a raise to judges because they could be lured away from the bench by lucrative job offers.

Carol Sayer, commission director, said the hearing will continue on Wednesday. She said commission members will present their recommendations at hearings in Vancouver, Bellingham, Tacoma and Richland between next month and May.

Salaries for state lawmakers are set by the commission every other year, Sayer said.