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Sen. Eva Burch, D-Mesa, speaks on the floor of the Arizona Senate on March 18, 2024, about her decision to get an abortion because she is carrying an unviable fetus. Burch spoke about how Arizona's "cruel" laws required her to have an invasive medical procedure and make multiple trips to the abortion clinic, even though the procedure is medically necessary and she has consulted with her personal doctor throughout her pregnancy. Burch was flanked by her fellow Democratic senators. Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror
Mesa Democratic Sen. Eva Burch announced late Wednesday afternoon that she would be resigning next week, citing partisan gridlock and the low pay state lawmakers receive.
Burch, who was first elected in 2022, made national headlines last year after she told her colleagues on the Senate floor about how the state’s anti-abortion laws were impacting her ability to end an unviable pregnancy.
In a statement, she said that unwillingness from Republicans to even consider Democratic ideas leaves her unable to accomplish her goals for improving Arizona.
“I know that with the current structure in place, the best way for me to get bills to the floor is certainly not to sponsor them myself. I can and must do more than what I can do here and now, and the time for me to start seeking those opportunities has come,” Burch said.
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She also said the low pay for state legislators, who are paid $24,000 a year and haven’t seen a pay raise since 1998, was a major factor.
“It also must be said that I have been struggling to make ends meet and to find balance with my legislative work and my job as a healthcare provider,” she said. “I know that I am not the first, nor will I be the last, good person to find themself a casualty of legislative pay.”
The low pay has been a driving factor in a string of legislative resignations over the past two years — most from Democrats, and all from lawmakers who live in Maricopa County who haven’t benefited from a windfall in extra per diem pay the way lawmakers who live outside the county do.
“I hope that the future will see Arizona lawmakers earning a living wage so that our constituents can be represented by working class citizens who understand the pressures of raising a family and struggling to make ends meet here in Arizona,” she added. “It is a loss for us all when thoughtful, level-headed leaders cannot offer the best of themselves to the job. I find myself unable to give either of my jobs the attention that they both duly deserve.”
State law requires that voters approve pay increases for elected officials, but they have rejected six pay raises for legislators since 1998, most recently in 2014. Since then, lawmakers have turned their efforts to increasing subsistence payments as a way to pay themselves more without having to win voter approval.
One veteran lobbyist who has long advocated for higher pay for lawmakers said it was sad to see that poor compensation drove Burch away from the Capitol.
“Another experienced Arizona legislator leaving state service in order to earn a living,” Kevin DeMenna, a lobbyist and former chief of staff for the Arizona Senate, said on X. “Why not put a salary increase on the ballot and establish a wage that will attract and retain the best and brightest policymakers?”
Burch’s resignation will be effective on March 14, 2025, after which the Democratic precinct committeemen of Legislative District 9 will choose nominees to fill the vacant seat until the next election. Her replacement will ultimately be chosen by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
“I look forward to offering my help and support to whoever is appointed to take my place,” Burch said. “I know that there is a future for me in Arizona politics, and I am determined to find it. This is a community and a state that I love with all my heart, and you can expect to see more of me, very soon.”
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