2005 Pennsylvania General Assembly pay raise controversy

In the early morning hours of July 7, 2005, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed pay increases for state lawmakers, judges, and top executive-branch officials. [cite news
first =
last =
url = http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2005&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1521
title = House Bill No. 151 Session of 2005
publisher = Pennsylvania General Assembly Committee of Conference
date = ] The vote took place at 2 a.m. without public review or commentary and Governor Ed Rendell signed the bill into law. The raise increased legislators' base pay from 16% to 34% depending on position. [cite news
last = Barnes
first = Tom
title = Senate OK's pay hike repeal bill; Rendell signs it
work = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
publisher = PG Publishing Co., Inc.
date = 2005-11-16
url = http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05320/607333.stm
accessdate = 2006-10-10 ]

Provisions

The pay raise included a provision allowing legislators to take their raises immediately in the form of "unvouchered expenses." This provision was included due to the Pennsylvania Constitution's clause prohibiting legislators from taking salary increases in the same term as which they are passed. State courts have ruled similar legislation to be constitutional on three separate occasions.

Reaction

Anger over the raise spawned several grass-roots movements, some geared toward voting out incumbents [http://www.pacleansweep.com/] and some seeking support for a Constitutional Convention or a reduction in the size of the legislature. [http://www.whp580.com/Durginstuff.html] [http://www.declarationofaction.org/] .

Political aftermath

The first victim of the public uproar was Supreme Court Justice Russell M. Nigro who became the first Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice to be denied retention. Nigro asserted that he had not taken part in the pay raise. However, critics noted that Chief Justice Ralph Cappy helped draft the bill and that prior Court opinions upheld such practices.

On November 16, 2005, Governor Rendell signed a repeal of the pay raise after a near unanimous vote for repeal; only House Minority Whip Mike Veon voted against the repeal. [Brown, David M. [http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_450776.html Veon's focal point of the pay raise race] , "Pittsburgh Tribune-Review", 2006-05-06. Accessed 2007-11-15.]

Despite the repeal, a total of 17 legislators were defeated in the 2006 primary elections including Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer and Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill. They were the first top-ranking Pennsylvania legislative leaders to lose a primary election since 1964.

The November 2006 General Election claimed several more members who supported the pay raise including Reps. Gene McGill, Mike Veon, Matt Wright, Tom Gannon and Matthew Good. [cite news
first = John
last = Baer
url = http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/14597854.htm
title = Astonishing defeats for Jubelirer, Brightbill
publisher = Philadelphia Daily News
date = 2006-05-17] The defeats were widely attributed to anger over the pay raise.

Frank LaGrotta, who was defeated in the 2006 primary election over the pay raise issue, was one of many legislators who were paying back their unvouchered expenses in installments. After pleading guilty to two counts of conflict of interest for hiring relatives as "ghost employees," he stopped repayment and was even refunded the amount that he had previously returned. [ [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08060/861390-85.stm After returning raise, LaGrotta took it back ] ]

7-10-2008 HARRISBURG -- Attorney General Tom Corbett today filed charges against a dozen figures in the payroll bonus scandal, including former House Democratic Whip Michael Veon and current state Rep. Sean Ramaley. Source Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

ee also

*2006 Pennsylvania General Assembly bonus controversy
*Russ Diamond
*Eric Epstein
*Drew Crompton
*Chris Lilik
*Gene Stilp
*Tim Potts

References