The public will now get a chance to weigh in on whether to give Maine voters the opportunity to approve or reject pay raises for elected officials in the state, including legislators and the governor.
Sponsored by a group of GOP lawmakers, LD 775 would put the pay raise legislators already approved earlier in the session on next ballot as a referendum question.
The State and Local Government Committee will be holding a public hearing on this bill at 1pm on Monday, March 24 in Room 214 of the Cross Building, which is located directly across from the State House.
Testimony may also be submitted online at www.mainelegislature.org/testimony.
This bill came after it was revealed earlier this year that state senators and representatives were set to be given a 61 percent pay raise beginning this session, as well as a significantly higher level of compensation for Maine’s next governor.
Gov. Janet Mills (D) will not benefit from this pay increase as she will be term-limited out of office prior to the effective date of this raise.
LD 775 — sponsored Rep. William R. Tuell (R-East Machias) and cosponsored by Sen. Marianne Moore (R-Washington) and Rep. Mathew David McIntyre (R-Lowell) — would allow Mainers to weigh in on whether these raises will ultimately take effect.
[RELATED: Do the State’s Politicians Deserve a Raise? Mainers May Get a Say in November]
Under legislation included in a budget previously signed into law, legislators’ compensation for the current legislative session was raised from $28,000 for a two-year term to $45,000.
Lawmakers are set to receive $25,000 for the first session and $20,000 for the second session.
Beginning in 2027, after Gov. Janet Mills (D) is termed out of office, the governor’s salary will also rise, increasing from $70,000 annually to $125,000 annually. The governor’s expense account will also quadruple from $10,000 to $40,000.
Both of these raises would be subject to voter approval under LD 775, meaning that Mainers would have the opportunity to decide if they wanted their elected officials to be paid a higher salary.
Should LD 775 be enacted, these raises would go before voters in November for final approval.
Click Here for More Information on LD 775
Although Maine’s constitution prohibits lawmakers and governors from increasing their own current salaries, any lawmakers who were reelected in November are now eligible to receive this increased level of compensation.
This constitutional requirement does, however, prevent Gov. Mills from benefiting from the budget law’s raises.
The proposal to increase lawmakers’ salaries drew bipartisan support in the 131st Legislature, with those on both sides of the aisle arguing that the prior level of compensation was insufficient to attract and retain effective representation.
[RELATED: Maine Lawmakers to Receive 61% Pay Raise This Year]
In an interview last year with the Portland Press Herald, House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) indicated that the old salaries were “way too low” and were a barrier to having more “working-class people” serving in office.
“If we want a better representation of the public, we need to increase salaries so working-class people can serve in these positions,” Rep. Faulkingham said.
Rep. Laurie Osher (D-Orono) appeared to agree that the lower level of compensation was inadequate for certain groups of Mainers — including “young people, people of color, and low-income and working-class Mainers” — to participate in government.
“Because of this, the Legislature does not accurately reflect the Mainers who elect us,” Rep. Osher said. “There are vital perspectives that are underrepresented or even missing from the conversation because too many Mainers cannot afford to serve.”
These pay increases are estimated to cost taxpayers a total of $1.7 million this year.
New Hampshire, with the same size population as Maine, pays their legislators one hundred dollars per legislative session with no health insurance benefit. Their state tax intake is three billion dollars less than ours, and NH is reducing their taxes this year!
It must be nice to be able to vote yourself a raise. And these raises are certainly not based upon “merit” looking at recent results.
Maine elected officials haven’t deserved any compensation since 2019.
The folks continually voting to morally and financially bankrupt our state, sexually exploit our children in overpriced indoctrination centers and consistantly violate the US Constitution also want to VOTE THEMSELVES A 61% RAISE.
Absolutely need a public hearing for this nonsense.
61% no way in heck.
Half a billion in the red and these guys think they deserve a raise? You balance the budget then come back and we’ll talk about it. Who do they think they are teachers?
What a joke!!! these people deserve only $100 per session!! What happened to citizen legislatures? They think they deserve anything?!!? The state is falling apart from the roads to the schools to the wharfs. Lets not even talk about education how these kids can not read and do basic math. They are all a joke and again Mainers are dumb enough to keep putting them back in office!!! You get what you vote for!!!
No raises, they can get the lousy 47 cents a year that I get. Most of them miss meeting after meeting and aren’t even there to vote. Nope, no way.
The illusion of voting them a raise, good one. I predict the voters will all certainly vote for a pay raise for the lawmakers. This is how hypocrisy works.
They would never get a raise from me –The have not done their job.
Since they’re paid with taxes wouldn’t that be another millls tax increase? How many we up too, I lost count.
Absolutely NOT……no pay increase until they start doing the job they were hired (voted in) to do.