Governor Vetoes Lawmakers' $18 Million Pay Package

BOSTON, MA — Massachusetts lawmakers approved an up to $18 million pay package for legislators, staffers and members of the state judiciary Thursday, a broadly criticized move that Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed Friday morning.

Senators voted to approve the bill Thursday over objections, particularly from their Republican colleagues, and a harsh critique from observers, including a Boston Globe editorial chiding the move as the "Great Pay Heist of 2017."

Despite veto-proof majorities in both houses of the state legislature Thursday, Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed legislators' pay package Friday morning. In his veto message, he wrote:

“While I value and respect the role and work of the Legislature, and particularly appreciate your willingness to collaborate on so many critical initiatives, I am returning to you unsigned H. 58, 'An Act Further Regulating the Compensation of Public Officials,' because it is fiscally irresponsible, would eliminate voter-approved term limits for constitutional officers, and was enacted after limited debate and without a reasonable opportunity for public comment."

However, it may be for naught. The wide margins in both House and Senate votes suggest Baker's veto may be overturned.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Baker urged people who disagree with the legislation to contact their lawmakers, the Boston Herald reported.

The bill first passed the House 114-44 on Wednesday. The Senate took it up Thursday, backing it 31-9.

The bill boosts the pay on Beacon Hill and beyond for the governor himself, as well as top lawmakers, constitutional officers, judges and judicial clerks. It would "hike the salaries of the House and Senate leaders by as much as 40 percent and give big raises to other legislative leaders, judges, and court clerks," reports the Globe.

In total, the package would amount to between $12 and $18 million per year.

"The annual salary for House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stan Rosenberg, both Democrats, would climb about $45,000 to more than $142,000 a year. The bill would boost Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s annual salary from $151,800 to $185,000, and for the first time would provide the governor a $65,000 housing allowance," the Associated Press reports.

Supporters say it's been under discussion for years, would keep Massachusetts in line with similar states and helps the state compete for talent with the private sector.

In its editorial on the matter, the Globe channeled the bill's critics and did not mince words, writing: "After a hurry-up process that slights transparency and takes refuge in convenient fictions and pretzel logic, the House passed the pay raises on Wednesday, with the Senate expected to follow suit on Thursday. There’s certainly a case to be made for a decent pay raise on Beacon Hill. But not in this indecent fashion."

The paper's opinion writers now get their wish, as Baker promises to veto the proposal. However, a veto-proof majority in the legislature may undo that attempt, the Globe reports, adding that the bill has been padded against the popular vote by including judicial salaries, which are shielded from ballot repeal.

One tool left in Baker's box? A good public shaming.

Image via governor's office