House Panel Votes to Limit Pay at Museum
May 11, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
The House of Representatives Appropriations Committee passed a provision on Wednesday that would prohibit employees of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum complex in Washington, from getting paid more than $400,000 annually, reports The Washington Post.
The museum has six employees who made more than that in 2005, including the secretary of the Smithsonian, Lawrence M. Small, who earned $573,832.
A spokesman for the Smithsonian, which receives about 70 percent of its funds from the federal government, says salary levels are set to attract the best people available. The 28 employees of the museum that earn more than $200,000 annually are paid with money raised from private sources, according to the newspaper.
