With Pennsylvania legislative salaries up a lot again, some say it's time for a new approach

Dec. 11—With inflation drastically raising legislative salaries the last two years, several local state legislators are open to ending their automatic inflation-based pay raises or limiting their size.

"I felt very comfortable with the salary I got in 2019, when I got elected," said state Rep. Bridget Malloy Kosierowski, D-114, Waverly Twp., who plans to sponsor a bill ending automatic raises.

Kosierowski won a special election in March 2019, when legislators' base salary was $88,610.42, about three months after a 1.6405% raise kicked in.

Back then, inflation had been low for more than two decades so raises often went unnoticed, but far greater inflation the last two years pushed legislators' salaries up 13.85% — from $90,335.42 in the year beginning Dec. 1, 2020, to $95,432.14 as of Dec. 1, 2021, a 5.642% increase, and to $102,844.07, a 7.7667% increase, as of Dec. 1.

The same Consumer Price Index-based inflation rate will raise the salaries of county and magisterial district judges on Jan. 1. County judges will earn $212,495, up from $197,119, magisterial district judges, $106,254, up from $98,565.

That means magisterial district judges and legislators will earn base salaries of more than $100,000 a year for the first time.

Among state legislatures, only California's legislators ($114,877) and New York's ($110,000) earn more annually, based on the latest figures available from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Pennsylvania's median income for an entire household was $67,587 as of July 1, 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. New York's was $75,157, California's, $84,097.

Since the General Assembly's first inflation-based pay raise went into effect on Dec. 1, 1997, salaries have risen by 76.28%.

Eric Epstein, founder of Rock the Capital, a watchdog group, said the raises are out of control.

"This is just a flagrant violation of the people's trust," Epstein said. "You're looking at a 7.8% pay raise from a legislature that refuses to increase a minimum wage. It's just the apex of hypocrisy."

The state minimum wage remains $7.25 an hour, same as the federal minimum, which hasn't changed since July 24, 2009.

Epstein advocates instituting an independent commission to evaluate performance and determine raises, similar to California.

He doubts the assembly will revoke automatic raises because most legislators face no reelection threat. Only an uprising similar to 2005 could change things, he said. Voter outrage forced legislators to revoke a middle-of-the-night, 16% to 34% pay hike they voted for themselves.

"It has to be sustained and focused, and it won't work until legislators start getting defeated," Epstein said.

He has little hope that will happen because voters seemed resigned.

"The overwhelming emotions associated with the pay raise are disgust and helplessness," Epstein said. "It has become so routine that very few people pay attention, especially right now when they're trying to pay their gas, grocery and mortgages."

Kate Flessner, a spokeswoman for Senate Republican Leader Joe Pittman, R-41, Indiana, blamed President Joe Biden for causing the inflation.

"The cost of living increase for legislators is tied to inflation and is an issue that must be seriously reviewed," Flessner said in an email. "Respecting taxpayers and their hard-earned tax dollars has been and will continue to be a chief priority of PA Senate Republicans."

Attempts to reach other legislative leaders in both parties about altering the pay-hike method were unsuccessful.

Some local state legislators chimed in about future pay raises:

—Rep. Tina Pickett, R-110, Wysox Twp., Bradford County, called the latest cost-of-living adjustments "pretty shocking." She plans to accept the raise, but is open to limiting future raises to a maximum percentage. "I serve with a lot of people who have families and household expenses," she said. She does not set aside raises for specific charities, but regularly spends thousands of dollars each term attending and supporting charity fundraisers.

—Rep. Jonathan Fritz, R-111, Honesdale, said he will accept the raise and favors automatic raises unless an alternative arises that does not require legislators to vote on increasing pay. "I don't know what that would be," he said. "I'm not ashamed to say I work extremely hard as a state representative. I have one of the largest districts in the commonwealth. I spend an enormous amount of time on the road away from my family. In my six years in office, we accomplished a lot on a lot of projects."

—Rep. Kyle Mullins, D-112, Blakely, said he will accept the raise and supports automatic raises, but is open to limiting the size to wage growth or Social Security benefit cost-of-living adjustments. Legislators, like all workers deserve fair raises, he said. He regularly gives to charities and will continue to do so, he said. "I treat this as a full-time job and then some," Mullins said. "This is my sole professional responsibility and income."

—Rep. Kyle Donahue, D-113, Scranton, said he views the new salary as his starting salary so he will accept it, but advocates tying raises with state wage growth. Ending automatic pay raises "would be preferable, but is that a realistic thing that could be passed through the legislature?" he asked.

—Kosierowski views the raise as a lot of money and noted her staff won't get a raise that large. She plans to assume sponsorship of former Rep. Gerry Mullery's bill to do away with automatic raises. She said she will use her raise to increase her donations to St. Joseph's Center in Scranton and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

—Rep. Jim Haddock, D-118, Pittston Twp., who began his first term Dec. 1, said he plans to look into a way of donating the raise to charity, perhaps even setting up a foundation to accept and distribute it. "It's an awesome salary," he said. He favors either capping the raise at about 3% or eliminating automatic raises.

—Rep. Joseph Adams, R-139, Salem Twp., opposes automatic pay raises, but would prefer raising pay some other way yet to be determined. If raises remain automatic, they should be capped at 3% or inflation, whichever is lower. He has not decided on accepting this raise, but said he's given far more than that to charities for more than 20 years and will keep doing that.

Attempts to reach senators Lisa Baker, and Rosemary Brown were unsuccessful.

Baker's office issued a statement pointing to her plan to again sponsor a bill allowing legislators to refuse inflation-based raises. Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., Luzerne County, has routinely donated her raises to charity.

Flynn, D-22, Dunmore, who said before the election he agrees with automatic pay raises, said he's open to considering a smaller raise.

"Something in the middle," he said.

He said he will probably donate the latest raise to charity and already donates about $10,000 a year.

Brown, R-40, Middle Smithfield Twp., discussed her position before the Nov. 8 election. She said she supports automatic raises because they dissuade legislators from enriching themselves through votes. She favors pausing raises during economic strife.

Lackawanna County Judges Andy Jarbola, James Gibbons, Terrence Nealon and Margaret Bisignani Moyle declined to comment. Judges Michael Barrasse, Julia Munley, Mary Walsh Dempsey and President Judge Trish Corbett did not respond.

Of the county's 10 magisterial district justices, only Judge Paul Ware, who serves Dunmore and part of Scranton, responded. He said he thinks the salary is justified.

"It is commensurate with what we do and the amount of work we put in," Ware said, noting that magistrates are frequently on call. "This is not a 9 to 5 job. I'm on call 24-7."

Contact the writer: bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9147; @BorysBlogTT on Twitter.