The total cost of the $3,203.02 per
member pay raise for the 200 legislators is $640,604 per year. Over the
two-year 2009-2010 session, the cost is $1,281,208.

Patrick is
required under the state constitution to determine the amount of a pay
raise or pay cut that the state's 40 senators and 160 representatives
will receive for the 2009-2010 session. All Massachusetts governors are
obligated to increase or decrease legislative salaries biennially under
the terms of a constitutional amendment approved by the voters in 1998.
The amendment, approved by a better than two to one margin, requires
legislative salaries to be "increased or decreased at the same rate as
increases or decreases in the median household income for the
commonwealth for the preceding two year period, as ascertained by the
governor."

Legislators' salaries have been raised every two
years since the $46,410 base pay was first raised under the
constitutional amendment in 2001. The new $61,439.76 salary means that
legislative salaries have been raised $15,029.76 or 32 percent since
the automatic hike became part of the state constitution.

The
most recent hike, prior to today, came when former Gov. Mitt Romney
gave representatives and senators a 4.8 percent annual pay raise for
2007 and 2008. That $2,667.33 hike increased the base pay of $55,569.41
to $58,236.74.

At the moment, Democratic House Speaker Sal
DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray also receive and $35,000
bonus for their service – boosting their salaries to $96,439.76.
Republican House Minority Leader Brad Jones and Senate Minority Leader
Richard Tisei receive a $22,500 bonus for their service – boosting
their salaries to $83,939.76.

The remaining 196 legislators currently receive the new base salary of $61,439.76.

Over
the next few weeks, DiMasi, Murray, Jones and Tisei will choose their
leadership teams and also appoint dozens of members to committee
chairs, vice chairs and other leadership positions. At that time, these
legislators will see their base pay boosted by bonuses ranging from
$7,500 to $25,000.

In his official letter to State Treasurer
Timothy Cahill announcing the raise, Patrick said, "As required by
Article CXVlll of the Amendments to the Constitution, for the purpose
of adjusting the base compensation of members of the General Court, we
have ascertained, based on the federal census American Community Survey
and reports of average weekly wages, that the median household income
for the Commonwealth f r the preceding two year period increased by 5.5
percent."

Beacon Hill Roll Call / Special Report / January 7, 2009