Chris McKenna is reporting at The Fray the four men charged with deciding if state lawmakers will receive a raise next year have now scheduled their first meeting after months of public silence and several other meeting attempts. The decision of whether raises should be given and for how much must be made by December 10. The New York State Compensation Commission will meet November 13, one week after the election, thus sparing Assembly and Senate candidates the unpleasantness of discussing proposed pay raises while on the stump. The four members of the new commission are state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, SUNY Chairman Carl McCall and CUNY Chairman Bill Thompson. The last commission to tackle this task came close to awarding a 43 percent raise in 2016, but the effort was blocked by dissenting members during a final meeting. The base pay for New York lawmakers has been $79,500 since 1999, and it is currently the third highest salary for state legislators in the country. Lawmakers also receive stipends that range from $9,000 to $41,500 for various roles and titles. In addition to the November 13 meeting, the commission will hold public hearings in Albany on November 28, and in New York City on November 30. Any increases approved wIll take effect in January. Read the full story at The Fray.