Help preserve local news. Support Franklin Observer.

4-06-2025 4:46am

Beacon Hill Roll Call

Alan Earls Editor

If you have any questions about this week's report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com or call us at (617) 720-1562.

Volume 50 - Report No. 14

March 31-April 4, 2025

By Bob Katzen

GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST – Join more than 22,000 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, who start their weekday morning with MASSterList—the popular newsletter that chronicles news and informed analysis about what’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and influence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications.

MASSterList will be e-mailed to you FREE every Monday through Friday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening in the blood sport of Bay State politics. For more information and to get your free subscription, go to: https://MASSterList/subscribe/

THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House and Senate last week.

This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call examines the salaries and other benefits received by state senators.

NEW HIGHER $82,046 BASE SALARY FOR SENATORS - The base salary for the state’s 40 state senators rose from $73,655 for the 2023-2024 session to $82,046 for the 2025-2026 session. That’s an 11.39 percent hike which means an additional $8,391 per senator. The estimated price tag for the hikes is $335,640.

Gov. Maura Healey announced these hikes in January. Under state law, Legislative salaries are up for adjustment in January every two years, either up or down, under a 1998 constitutional amendment approved by a better than two-to-one margin by voters. It requires that every two years the salaries of the governor, the other five constitutional statewide officers and the state’s 40 senators be increased or decreased based on data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measures the quarterly change in salaries and wages.

It also requires that the same formula be used every two years to increase or decrease the stipends that all 40 senators receive for their service in Democratic or Republican leadership positions, as committee chairs or vice chairs and as the ranking Republican on some committees.

Senators’ base salaries were $46,410 when the voters approved the automatic pay adjustments in 1998. Since that time, the salaries have been increased every two years except for a $306 pay cut for the 2011-2012 session; an $1,100 pay cut for the 2013-2014 session; and a salary freeze for the 2015-2016 legislative session.

The new $82,046 salary means that the base Senate salary has been raised $35,636 or 76 percent, since the mandated salary adjustment became part of the state constitution in 1998.

EXTRA PAY FOR ALL 40 SENATORS – All 40 senators receive an additional stipend, ranging from $30,207.04 to $119,631.81, above the $82,046 base salary, for their positions in the Democratic and Republican leadership, as committee chairs, vice chairs and the ranking Republican on some committees. The stipend is increased or decreased every two years based on data from the BEA that measures the quarterly change in salaries and wages.

Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland), the top Democrat, earns the highest stipend of any senator: $119,631.81. Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) the top Republican, earns an $89,723,85 stipend.

Supporters say legislators in these important positions should be appropriately compensated for their many added responsibilities and hard work.

Critics say the base salary is sufficient and is eligible to be increased every two years.

Here are the top 10 senators who are paid the highest salaries including the three categories of base pay, stipends and general expense pay allowance.

Sen. Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) $224,107.08

Sen. Michael Rodrigues (D-Westport) $216,929.17

Cynthia Creem (D-Newton) $216,630.09

Michael Barrett (D-Lexington) $201,676.12

Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett) $201,676.12

Joan Lovely (D-Salem) $201,676.12

William Brownsberger (D-Belmont) $201,676.11

Cynthia Friedman (D-Arlington) $194,199.13

Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) $194,199.12

Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Truro) $186,722.15

The senators who receive the lowest salary of $134,682.32 are Sens. Michael Brady (D-Brockton); William Driscoll (D-Milton); Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville); John Keenan (D-Quincy); Robyn Kennedy (D-Worcester); Liz Miranda (D-Boston); Michael Moore (D-Millbury); and Pavel Payano (D-Lawrence)

$22,430.96 OR $29,907.95 FOR GENERAL EXPENSES – Each senator also receives an annual general expense pay allowance of $22,430.96 for members who live within a 50-mile radius of the Statehouse and $29,907.95 for those who are located outside of that radius.

This separate, flat rate expense allowance is taxable as income. It is designed to pay for some of the costs of senators’ district offices and other expenses including contributions to local civic groups and the printing and mailing of newsletters. Senators are not required to submit an accounting of how they spend the money. But they are allowed to deduct any expenses, permitted under federal law, from their gross income on their federal and state tax return.

PARKING SPACES - Legislators are entitled to a parking space inside the Statehouse garage or at the nearby McCormack State Office Building. For 2025, the first $325 in monthly value of the space is a tax-free benefit under federal and state guidelines that apply to all public and private employees, not just state legislators. Any value of the space above this amount is treated as taxable income.

The value of the parking spaces in 2025 was determined by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to be $477 per month. Based on that figure, legislators would be taxed on the excess $152 monthly by the Internal Revenue Service and the state.

HEALTH INSURANCE – Senators are eligible to choose from 11 health insurance plans offered by the state’s Group Insurance Commission, which manages the plans for 259,929 individuals—current and retired state workers, as well as certain municipal workers, and their dependents.

Senators elected on or before July 1, 2003, pay 20 percent of the total premium and the state pays 80 percent. Those elected to their first term on or after July 1, 2003 pay 25 percent while the state picks up only 75 percent. State and federal privacy regulations protect this information and it is not possible to obtain records about which plans individual legislators have purchased. The out-of-pocket monthly premiums paid by senators for family plans range from $369.98 to $655.62 per month. For individual plans, they pay from $149.82 to $300.64 per month.

LIFE INSURANCE – Senators who purchase a health insurance policy from the state are also required to buy the state’s basic $5,000 life insurance policy. The costs for employees are based on age and whether the employee is a smoker or non-smoker. They range from 4 cents to $2.49 per month. The same 20/80 25/75 formula used for health insurance also applies to this life insurance. Senators also have the option to buy additional life insurance with a value of up to eight times their salary – up to a maximum of $1.5 million. The entire premium for the optional insurance is paid by the senator.

LONG-TERM DISABILITY AND HEALTH CARE SPENDING ACCOUNT – Senators also have the option to open a Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) and Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), and to buy long-term disability insurance. The HCSA allows senators to set aside funds to pay for out-of-pocket health care expenses with before-tax dollars while the DCAP allows them to set aside funds to pay for certain dependent care expenses with before-tax dollars. This participation reduces their federal and state income taxes. The entire premium for long-term disability is paid by senators.

DENTAL AND VISION INSURANCE – Senators are eligible to choose one of two dental/vision insurance plans. Current monthly employee premium costs paid by senators for family plans range from $15.16 to $20.52, while individual plans range from $4.91 to $6.64. All senators pay 15 percent of the premium and the state pays 85 percent.

SENATORS WHO LIVE 50 MILES FROM THE STATEHOUSE ARE NO LONGER ELIGIBLE TO PAY A REDUCED OR NO FEDERAL INCOME TAX ON THEIR LEGISLATIVE SALARY – For many years until recently, senators who live more than 50 miles from the Statehouse were eligible for a special federal tax break. A 1981 federal law allowed them to write off a daily expense allowance when filing their federal income tax return. The complicated system determined a daily amount, ostensibly for meals, lodging and other expenses incurred in the course of their jobs, which can be deducted for every “legislative day.”

Under the Massachusetts Legislature’s system and schedule, every day of the year qualifies as a legislative day. The Legislature does not formally “prorogue” (end an annual session) until the next annual session begins. This allowed senators to take the deduction for all 365 days regardless of whether the Legislature is actually meeting or not. Senators did not even have to travel to the Statehouse to qualify for the daily deduction.

The amount of the deduction was based on the federal per diem for Massachusetts. It varied from year to year. The daily per diem for senators for fiscal year 2023, the last year this deduction was allowed, varied in different parts of the state and was seasonal. It ranged from $98 per day to $459 per day or between $35,770 and $167,535 annually.

Beacon Hill Roll Call’s research indicated that in fiscal year 2023, 11 of the state’s 40 senators lived more than 50 miles from the Statehouse, qualified for this deduction and were eligible to pay a reduced or no federal income tax on their legislative salaries.

SENATORS ARE NO LONGER ELIGIBLE FOR PER DIEMS - Legislators are no longer entitled to collect "per diems" to reimburse them for mileage, meals and lodging expenses for travel from their home to the Statehouse. These reimbursements were discontinued in 2017. They were not taxable income and ranged from $10 per day for legislators who reside in the greater Boston area to $82 for Western Massachusetts lawmakers and $100 for those in Nantucket.

TOTAL SALARY FOR SENATORS

Here is the total annual salary for local senators, including the three categories of base pay, stipends and general expense pay allowance.

Sen. Rebecca Rausch $149,337.21 Sen. Karen Spilka $224,107.08

ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

AFFORDABLE HOMES COMMISSIONS – The Accessible Housing Commission, Extremely Low-Income Housing Commission and Senior Housing Commission, all created by the Affordable Homes Act recently signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey, have begun working to address the housing challenges of people with accessibility needs, extremely low-income residents and people with accessibility needs.

Massachusetts' first comprehensive statewide housing plan, A Home for Everyone, has identified 222,000 homes that need to be built in order to end the housing crisis in Massachusetts.

“The housing crisis has impacted everyone in one way or another, but for some, finding housing that fits their needs is exceptionally challenging,” said Ed Augustus, secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. “These commissions are tasked with identifying those challenges and providing concrete recommendations and strategies to ensure everyone in Massachusetts – particularly seniors, residents on extremely low incomes and people with accessibility needs – can access the safe, affordable and dignified housing they need.”

$850,000 FOR LOCALLY GROWN, NUTRITIOUS FOOD IN SCHOOLS - The Healey Administration announced it is awarding $850,000 in state-funded, competitive Massachusetts Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health (FRESH) grants to 26 school districts and 11 early education and care programs. This funding supports the National School Lunch Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program sponsors to start or expand their capacity to grow or procure local food and educate students, teachers, school nutrition professionals and staff about the local food system.

“While the Trump Administration continues to take away food from children and families, and hurt local businesses and farmers, Massachusetts is continuing to prioritize programs like these,” said Gov. Healey. “We know that our students succeed when they have access to healthy food, and we can create partnerships that support local businesses and farms in the process.”

"It’s important for students to understand where food comes from and how it is produced and prepared,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “The MA FRESH grants are an important tool that connect students to their local food system and produce, while also providing STEM educational opportunities focused on food literacy, nutrition, plant science and agriculture.”

HOME EQUITY THEFT LAW – Last year, the House and Senate approved and the governor signed a law, as part of the state budget, that prohibits cities and towns that foreclose on properties on which the owner owes back property taxes, from keeping all of the profits when the city or town sells the property at auction. Prior to passage of this law Massachusetts law allowed this practice. The new law allows the city or town to keep only the amount owed in back taxes and send the remainder to the owner.

Last year, the United States Supreme Court ruled that cities and towns that foreclose on properties on which the owner owes back property taxes, cannot keep all of the profits when the city or town sells the property at auction. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, writing a unanimous decision about a similar Minnesota law, said that "a taxpayer who loses her $40,000 house to the state to fulfill a $15,000 tax debt has made a far greater contribution to the public fisc than she owed."

The law’s sponsor, Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) says the law is facing a new challenge, proposed as part of a fiscal 2025 supplemental budget filed by Gov. Maura Healey last week, that would make it harder for homeowners to recoup their rightful equity.

“The same municipal officials who partnered with private firms to prey upon vulnerable homeowners suffering from immense challenges in their lives are the same special interests who have heavily lobbied the administration to give them another bite at the apple while everyday people continue to lose their life savings,” said Montigny. “There are hundreds of pending cases within the trial court that deserve immediate relief in accordance with the protections provided under the new law, including the reduced interest rate that was previously set at a predatory level.”

Montigny continued, “Efforts to weaken these long overdue legal protections will not be tolerated and these elected and appointed municipal officials should be more concerned with helping their residents, not concocting new ways to continue to rob them. It is unacceptable that consumer advocates and the lead legislative sponsor of this measure have been left in the dark while financially driven special interests have been allowed to once again pervade the legislative process. The Healey Administration should immediately rescind its support for these harmful measures that were concocted without consulting the consumer advocates who deal with these difficult cases on behalf of homeowners every day.”

NON-LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING COMMISSION (S 6) – The Election Laws Committee held a hearing on a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a non-legislative redistricting commission to replace the current commission made up exclusively of state legislators. The commission, like the current commission, would be responsible for creating congressional districts, 160 representative districts, 40 senatorial districts and eight councilor districts every ten years based on the national census.

The proposed commission would include a dean or professor of law, political science or government from a Massachusetts college, appointed by the governor; a retired judge, appointed by the attorney general; and an expert in civil rights law, appointed by the secretary of state. The other four members would be chosen by the above three members from a list of candidates nominated by the House Speaker, House Minority Leader, Senate President and Senate Minority Leader.

Supporters of the proposed commission say the Legislature has abused its redistricting power and often gerrymandered districts to protect incumbents. They said this antiquated, partisan system allows the majority party to control the process and permits "legislators to choose their voters." They noted that the idea of an independent commission has been endorsed in the past by the League of Women Voters, Common Cause and former Govs. Michael Dukakis, Mitt Romney and Deval Patrick.

“The measure strengthens transparency and objectivity in the redistricting process by prohibiting recent elected officials from serving and by including public comment periods and reporting requirements,” says amendment sponsor Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Marlborough). “By adopting best practices already used in other states, this reform ensures that Massachusetts moves toward a fairer and nonpartisan redistricting process.”

Opponents of the commission say elected members of the Legislature, who are accountable to the voters, should be responsible for the important job of redistricting. They said the task should not be undertaken by an appointed commission with unknown members who would not have direct accountability. They cited studies showing that these so-called "independent" redistricting commissions are no more or less independent than commissions established by Legislatures.

MIKE PENCE WILL BE AWARDED JFK PROFILE IN COURAGE AWARD – The 2025 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award will be presented to former Vice President Mike Pence “for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on January 6, 2021”. The John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award is presented annually to public servants for making a courageous decision of conscience without regard for the personal or professional consequences. JFK’s daughter Caroline Kennedy and her son Jack Schlossberg will present the award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum on May 4, 2025 in Boston.

“Political courage is not outdated in the United States," said Kennedy and Schlossberg in a joint statement. At every level of government, leaders are putting country first and not backing down. Despite our political differences, it is hard to imagine an act of greater consequence than Vice President Pence’s decision to certify the 2020 presidential election during an attack on the U.S. Capitol. Upholding his oath to the Constitution and following his conscience, the Vice President put his life, career, and political future on the line. His decision is an example of President Kennedy’s belief that an act of political courage can change the course of history.”

“I am deeply humbled and honored to be the recipient of the Kennedy Profile in Courage Award,” said Pence. “I have been inspired by the life and words of President John F. Kennedy since my youth and am honored to join the company of so many distinguished Americans who have received this recognition in the past.”

QUOTABLE QUOTES

“It’s an honor to host high school students in the House Chamber as they participate in Student Government Day. It’s very important to engage our young people in our democratic process, and I encourage all of the students participating to become active in state government.”

---House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy) on more than 350 high school juniors and seniors from across the state gathered at the Statehouse last week to participate in Student Government Day, an annual program organized by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“Massachusetts is the medical research capital of the country. Not only do our public research institutions rely on NIH funding for their groundbreaking research, job creation and academic competitiveness, but our residents depend on these studies to propel lifesaving medical advancements. I won’t allow the Trump Administration to take unlawful actions that play politics with our public health.”

---Attorney General Andrea Campbell on joining a coalition of 16 attorneys general that is suing the Trump Administration in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts over its unlawful attempt to disrupt grant funding issued by the National Institutes of Health.

“The evidence is clear—child sexual abuse is preventable. Prevention means not only equipping communities with the tools to stop abuse before it happens but also ensuring families have access to resources when concerns arise. Addressing problematic sexual behavior is an essential piece of this work. By expanding education and support, we can help children develop healthy behaviors and provide caregivers with the guidance they need.”

---Jennifer Valenzuela, Executive Director of the Children’s Trust, marking the beginning of Child Abuse Prevention Month.

“Play-based learning provides young children with engaging experiences that support their cognitive and social-emotional development. These grants will help provide our schools, from Northampton to Fall River, with funding to create environments that reflect the ways in which young children learn.”

---Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler announcing the awarding of $1.2 million in grants to seven school districts to incorporate playful learning strategies into preschool through third grade classrooms.

HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION?

Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session.

During the week of March 31-April 4, the House met for a total of nine minutes while the Senate met for a total of 34 minutes.

Mon. March 31 House 11:02 a.m. to 11:05 a.m.

Senate 11:21 a.m. to 11:25 a.m.

Tues. April 1 No House session

No Senate session

Wed. April 2 No House session

No Senate session

Thurs. April 3 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:06 a.m.

Senate 11:13 a.m. to 11:43 a.m.

Fri. April 4 No House session

No Senate session

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com