Following howls of protest from the voting public, several lawmakers are saying that they won’t take the pay raise that will take effect unless Governor Bobby Jindal vetoes the measure, something he continues to say he will not do.

WWL-TV

Despite voting for the raise, Speaker Jim Tucker said he doesn't need his raise and will give it away.

The public flooded the emails and phone numbers of lawmakers over the past two weeks as the proposal shrank from a tripling of their current salaries to one that more than doubled them from $16,800 per year to $37,500.

An option to pass on the raise was taken by a handful of legislators, while others said they would take the money and use it for programs or charities in their districts.

Any money not taken by legislators would go into the state’s general fund.

Representative Walker Hines – D, New Orleans, said he would take the pay hike and use most of it for a project he hopes will improve the crime-plagued Hollygrove neighborhood.

“I'm planning on giving the majority of the raise to revitalize a park and help people to help children get off the street this summer,” he said. “Hopefully it will help reduce crime the area. We have a very high murder rate. In the end, I think it will benefit my entire district and maybe all of greater New Orleans.”

West bank State Senator David Heitmeier says his raise will go to a number of charities.

“(The) Algiers Animal Welfare Society, Gretna Economic Development Foundation, Plaquemines Foundation, there are plenty of charities in my district that I look forward to contributing to."

Even House Speaker Jim Tucker of Terrytown, who pushed for the pay raise bill and fought strongly for it on the floor is also giving away his pay hike.

His salary and that of the senate president will go up from $32,000 to close to $72,000 a year.

“I already get more than the average member,” he said. “Consequently, the increase over that number, in my mind, I don't personally need it, so I'm going to give it to charity.”

Tucker says giving his raise to charity is not in reaction to any public backlash back home. He claims the public outcry has actually calmed down in his district since lawmakers agreed to double their salary, rather than triple it.

"This pay raise wasn't about me. It wasn't about Ann Duplessis. It was about a number of members who need the raise and to be able to feed their families. We haven't had a pay raise since 1980."