Gov. Deval Patrick on Monday certified a 0.5 percent pay cut for lawmakers, which will translate to a $307-a-year reduction for the 200 members of the House and Senate. Mr. Patrick is required by the state’s constitution to certify changes in legislative pay tied to the increase or decrease in median household income across Massachusetts.
Economic observers had predicted that median household income had declined over the previous two years, driven by the economic downturn. The overall reduction in legislative salary is equal to about $6 a week for each lawmaker, and a combined $61,400 a year, the approximate salary of a single lawmaker.
Governor Patrick ruled on legislative pay as he weighs a spending bill on his desk that would increase the budget of the House and Senate by $8.5 million, an increase that administration officials say would erase reductions the House and Senate took at the start of the session.
