If the Michigan senators sit on their hands today, they’ll get an extra $20,000 in their salary.

The 36 percent salary boost will go into effect Thursday if the state Senate decides not to bring the issue to vote.

“Little if any business will take place (today),” said Aaron Keesler, a spokesman for state Senate Majority Leader Dan DeGrow, R-Port Huron, who supports the pay increase. “It is unlikely that there will be a vote.”

Last week the state House overwhelmingly voted against the salary increase, 100-6, but some say the representatives knew the “no” votes still could lead to the bigger salary.

Officials including Gov. John Engler, Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus, Supreme Court Justices and legislators will receive pay increases if no vote is taken.

Senate Minority Leader John Cherry, D-Clio, said the pay increase is long overdue.

“Legislative salaries have lagged over the decades,” he said. “It might be a little higher than what I wanted, but the issue becomes: Do we want to freeze our pay for three years? I don’t support that, either.”

State Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield, who has led a campaign to bring the issue to a vote - with little support from fellow senators - said the raise is not reasonable.

“I am not supportive of the raise,” he said. “I think a cost of living increase would be reasonable, but I can’t support a nearly 40 percent raise, especially in a time when most workers are getting cost of living increases.

“With the economy slowing and layoffs announced from companies like DaimlerChrysler, this is not an appropriate time to be discussing a pay raise for elected officials.”

Peters, who has been rumored to be a potential gubernatorial candidate in 2002, said the “odds are against” a vote today.

“I think some of my colleagues are underestimating the anger out there,” he said. “Most of the senate is term-limited, so they aren’t up for election again.

“This is the type of action we may come to expect in the future under term limits.”

Bill Ballenger, editor and publisher of the Lansing-based newsletter Inside Michigan Politics, said officials probably won’t face repercussions for not voting on the pay increase.

“There is a lot of hullabaloo at the time (of the vote), but it kind of dwindles away,” he said. “With term limits and a lot of these people not running again, it might not be a factor.

“People will forget that they didn’t vote on it by the next election. They will overlook what the person did. But you don’t build up points by sitting on your hands and passively accepting a $20,000 raise.”

Jeff Kutschman, an East Lansing resident and elementary education junior, said the increase may be appropriate, but “they shouldn’t do it by not voting.”

“I don’t think a raise is bad, but they should at least talk about it,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.