Minnesota's top state employees haven't had a pay increase in the past decade, sometimes leading state workers to seek better-paying jobs elsewhere.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty makes $120,303 -- the same salary the governor received in 1998, when Jesse Ventura was elected.

State law dictates that pretty much no government employee can make more than the governor.

So the state faces some tough competition when it comes to jobs in local government and the private sector. For example, 60 employees in Ramsey, Anoka, Dakota and Washington counties make more than Pawlenty.

Fifteen thousand state employees are already making their maximum salary.

Some state officials and union leaders think limiting state salaries can have unfortunate consequences. But not everyone agrees on whether and how the laws should change.