Panel to address pay hikes for 7 top state officials

Fresh off of budget cuts and lawmaker raises, a joint committee will address pay hikes tomorrow for the state’s seven top officials, with a proposal to dramatically boost the pay of House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg.

DeLeo and Rosenberg yesterday put out a joint statement announcing a public meeting on the matter tomorrow. The statement said in part, “The Joint Committee on Ways and Means will hold a public hearing on the December 2014 report by the Special Advisory Commission Regarding the Compensation of Public Officials.”

The study determined Gov. Charlie Baker and six other constitutional officers — the auditor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, Senate president and House speaker — receive a fraction of the pay of people holding jobs with similar responsibilities in the private sector. The study recommended Rosenberg and DeLeo be paid $175,000.

With a $35,000 stipend on top of the $62,547 in legislative base pay, DeLeo and Rosenberg now each make roughly $97,000. The other constitutional officers already make six-figure salaries, and would be in line for smaller pay hikes, bringing them all up to $165,000 to $185,000. Late last year, Baker signed off on the first legislative pay increase in eight years, boosting lawmakers’ salaries by $2,515.

Proposed pay hikes drew criticism from State Rep. Bradley Hill (RIpswich), who said the proposed hikes are inappropriate given the state’s lean budget.

Baker makes $151,800 per year. Baker spokesman Billy Pitman said the governor and Lt. Gov Karyn Polito have no plans to accept pay hikes.