Massachusetts legislators are set to receive an 11 percent pay increase, but at least one state legislator is giving his pay raise away.
State Representative David DeCoste (R-Norwell) says he will keep his promise to forgo pay raises and pension benefits.
DeCoste has pledged to donate his salary increase to local charities in the towns he represents: Hanson, Hanover, Norwell, and Rockland.
“It is an honor to serve the people of the 5th Plymouth District,” DeCoste said in a press release. “I fully intend on holding the promise that I made when I was first elected to office, and that is I will not accept a pay raise.”
DeCoste has consistently redirected funds to groups like the Friendship Home in Norwell, local public schools, libraries, and organizations supporting veterans and youth, his press release said.
“I am not in this for the money, but rather to serve the people I was elected to represent,” DeCoste added. “Helping seniors, veterans, parents, and kids is my reward. And, bringing some common sense to Beacon Hill is why the voters sent me there.”
The base pay is jumping by $8,391 — from $73,655 to $82,046 annually.
DeCoste’s announcement comes after Governor Maura Healey sent a letter to Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, telling her that Massachusetts lawmakers will receive an 11 percent pay increase.
“For the purpose of adjusting the base compensation of members of the General Court in accordance with Article CXVIII of the Amendments to the Constitution, we have ascertained, using the American Community Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau, that the median household income for the Commonwealth for the preceding two-year period increased 11.39%,” Healey wrote in the letter.
With the pay raises, the total compensation for House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy) and Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) will total $243,493, according to MassLive.
Beacon Hill pay raises have generally been smaller than this most recent one. For example, when Charlie Baker was governor, the pay hikes ranged from 4.2 percent to 6.5 percent every two years.
However, in 2013, due to a weak economy, the lawmakers received a 1.8 percent pay decrease — cutting their base pay by about $1,000 annually, according to Patch.com.
At the time, then-state representative Jerry Parisella (D-Beverly) said he felt the pay cut was appropriate.
“Many families in Massachusetts are still struggling as we try to recover from this deep recession,” Parisella told Patch. “I feel fortunate that I was re-elected for another term as Beverly’s state representative. I never did this for the money but love to serve the residents of my hometown. We need to work hard this session to continue on job creation and economic development so that we can improve the opportunities for every citizen to have stable, steady employment.”
Massachusetts is one of 10 states with a full-time state legislature. It ranks sixth in pay among full-time state legislatures behind New York ($142,000), California ($128,215), Pennsylvania ($106,422), Illinois ($89,250), and Alaska ($84,000).
Part-time state legislatures typically make significantly less. In New Hampshire, for example, state legislators have a base salary of $100 annually. Meanwhile, in New Mexico, the state legislature is an unpaid position.
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