In her final official act of 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul approved a law increasing the annual pay of state lawmakers by $32,000 and making them the highest paid state Legislature in the country.

Legislators in the state Senate and Assembly will earn $142,000 a year, topping California state lawmakers.

The law approved by Hochul will also place limits on how much state lawmakers can earn outside of their jobs as elected officials, though exceptions will be made for pension and investment income. The outside pay limit takes effect in 2025.

Lawmakers approved the pay raises for themselves in December, reconvening in Albany for a one-day session in order for the pay raise to take effect in the new year. Legislators previously earned $110,000 a year.

The measure passed over the public objections of some Republicans, who argued the pay raise was tone deaf amid rising inflation and the cost of living. But top Democrats defended the move, arguing it was necessary to have lawmakers earn a competitive salary with members of the New York City Council and that their colleagues work hard.

Hochul's approval of the pay raise also comes as numerous Democrats in the state Senate have signaled they will not support her nominee for the state Court of Appeals' chief judge, Hector LaSalle.