State legislators are woefully underpaid across the Nation and it shows through in the laws they produce. Our Nation needs to hire the best and brightest to make it the best and brightest of nations. Across the land, serving in a State Legislature should be a full time job.
Currently most state legislators are paid appalling less than $30,000.
State Legislators salaries: http://ballotpedia.org/Comparison_of_state_legislative_salaries
U.S. Congress Salaries: http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/congresspay.htm
Raise the salaries of the U.S. Congress and all State Legislatures to $175,000 + 5% increase per 1st 5 years of service. $250,000 for Speaker of the House and $235,000 for majority and minority party leaders.