Pa. state reps repealed raises but raised new questions

The people of Pennsylvania gave the rest of the nation a lesson. You can fight city hall - or, more accurately in this case, the statehouse.
Last week the Senate passed, 50-0, and Gov. Ed Rendell quickly signed a bill repealing raises that were passed in the dead of night July 7. The bill increased the salaries of state representatives, senators and judges (1,300 people in all) by 16 percent to 54 percent. The raises brought a state legislator's pay from $69,647 to $81,000.
In its greed, the legislature may have awakened a sleeping giant. There was heated debate about the pay raises during the 132 days from when it was passed to when it was repealed. And the loophole that the legislature used to allow themselves to begin collecting the pay raises immediately - even though they are prohibited by law from receiving in-term raises - made the legislators look like they cared more about fattening their wallets than honoring the state constitution.
A clever trick
They approved the raises as "unvouchered expenses," which allowed them to begin collecting the additional money immediately. Some legislators declined to accept the in-term raises; some took the money, promising to donate it to worthy local causes, and others took the money and ran.
While the reaction in the legislature may have been mixed, the public reaction was quite clear. In less than a month, the first of two lawsuits was filed challenging the raises. More than three out of four voters polled didn't think the raises were justified. In late September, more than 1,000 protesters demonstrated against the raises at the state Capitol. In November, voter dissatisfaction over the issue was credited in part with the electoral defeat of Supreme Court Justice Russell M. Nigro, the first statewide judge ever turned out of office in a retention vote.
Even after the repeal, some legislators are unapologetic. State Rep. Frank LaGrotta of Ellwood City, for instance, said he recognizes that politics required the repeal, but he still thinks Pennsylvania legislators are worth $81,000 - half what a U.S. representative or senator is paid.
Top of the heap
That assumes that Pennsylvania needs a full-time legislature that, with 253 representatives and legislators is the largest in the nation (New Hampshire has more members, but they are citizens legislators, paid just $200 a year).
Because Pennsylvania has so many legislators, they actually cost taxpayers far more per capita than members of Congress. At $81,000 a year (the pay before the rollback) a Pennsylvania state representative cost $1.33 per constituent, while a U.S. representative who is paid $162,000 costs about 25 cents per constituent.
Using Congress as a yardstick of worth-per-constituent, a state representative should be paid about $30,500 (or the 203-member house should be reduced to about 40 members).
Inviting comparisons such as those may come back to haunt Pennsylvania legislators.
The nonpartisan Pennsylvania Economy League has assembled some comparisons that should give Pennsylvania legislators and taxpayers alike pause.
At $81,000 Pennsylvania's legislators ranked second in terms of base pay, trailing only the $99,000 salary for California legislators. New York is slightly lower at $79,500. The only other state that's close is Michigan ($77,400).
In addition to their salaries, most of Pennsylvania's legislators receive $129 per day for expenses. Pennsylvania is one of only six large states that meet year-round, which drives up the cost, compared to most other states.
More perks
Pennsylvania state representatives also receive a generous car allowance ($7,800 a year) and health care coverage.
Legislators receive pension benefits that are better than almost any to be found in private industry, and better even than that of other state employees. Pensions, of course, are based on salary, and because Pennsylvania has one of the highest pay scales in the nation and more legislators than other states, its pension costs are higher.
Pennsylvania also has one of the highest ratios of paid staff per legislator in the country. California leads the nation at 19.5 to 1. New York is next at 14.5 to 1. Pennsylvania is third at 11.6 to 1. (Ohioans can be proud of their relatively low ratio, 3.8 to 1; North Carolina gets bragging rights at 1.7 to 1.)
The bottom line is that Pennsylvanians are paying for a Rolls-Royce among state legislatures, at a cost of almost a half-billion dollars a year.
The legislators may have gotten themselves off the hook by rescinding their raises. Or their profligate ways may have awakened a movement that's going to demand more accountability in the future.