Massachusetts lawmakers to start the new year with base pay increases

Michael P. Norton

[Coverage Developing] Lawmakers set to be sworn in Wednesday will get a base pay amount that’s 11% higher in the new year.

Under the constitution, governors are required to adjust legislative base pay every two years and Gov. Maura Healey on Tuesday wrote a letter to Treasurer Deborah Goldberg outlining her conclusions.

Healey said her team used the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to determine that median household income for Massachusetts for the 2023-2024 period increased by 11.39 percent.

By contrast, those earning the $15 an hour minimum wage did not get a pay bump Wednesday for the second year in a row.

Lawmakers’ base salaries will increase by $8,391, from $73,655 to $82,046, according to a spokesperson for the Executive Office of Administration and Finance. The vast majority of lawmakers earn stipends on top of that base salary for taking on leadership roles, which range from an extra few thousand dollars to over $100,000 on top of the base pay all lawmakers receive. Plus, many legislators hold other jobs outside of the Legislature where they collect a separate paycheck.

The new Legislature must convene on the first Wednesday in January, necessitating a New Year’s Day session.

Here’s what to expect:

• House Speaker Ron Mariano of Quincy and Senate President Karen Spilka of Ashland are on track to continue leading Democrats in the two branches, where they hold overwhelming majorities.

• Republican leaders Rep. Brad Jones of North Reading and Sen. Bruce Tarr of Gloucester are also expected to retain their posts but Rep. Marc Lombardo of Billerica and his supporters have questioned the effectiveness of Republicans under Jones.
• Tim Carroll is expected to succeed Steve James, who retired Tuesday, as clerk of the House.

• House and Senate Democrats and Republicans will hold nominating caucuses before the 11 a.m. sessions. House Democrats are opening their first caucus of the year to media, but not ensuing gatherings. Senate caucuses and the House Republican caucus will be closed to press.

• The House will feature 19 new members and there will be three new senators seated Wednesday.
• Top Democrats may signal interest in transparency-minded rules changes, but they have been unable to agree on joint rules reform since 2019