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. The vote took place at 2 am without public review or commentary and
Governor Ed Rendell
Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author. He served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, as chair of the national Democratic Party, and as the 96th Mayor of Philad ...
signed the bill into law. The raise increased legislators' base pay from 16% to 34% depending on position.
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
Outrage over the pay raise was picked up by several influential state blogs like Grassrootspa and PennPatriot Blog. Advocacy groups spawned several grass-roots movements, some geared toward voting out incumbents and some seeking support for a Constitutional Convention or a reduction in the size of the legislature. The legislature repealed the pay raise after four months by a 50–0 vote in the senate and 197–1 vote in the house.
Political aftermath
The first victim of the public uproar was Supreme Court Justice Russell M. Nigro who became the first
Pennsylvania Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme J ...
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
Ralph J. Cappy (August 25, 1943 – May 1, 2009) was a justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1990 to 1998 and chief justice of the Court from 2003 to 2008.
Prior to joining the state Supreme Court, Cappy was named to the Allegheny Co ...
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
Michael R. Veon (born January 19, 1957) is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 14th District from 1985 through 2006.
Personal life
Veon is a 1975 graduate of Beaver Falls High School. Veon attended Al ...
voted against the repeal.
Despite the repeal, a total of 17 legislators were defeated in the 2006 primary elections including Senate President Pro Tempore
Robert Jubelirer
Robert C. Jubelirer (born February 9, 1937, Altoona, Pennsylvania) is a Republican political leader in Pennsylvania. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1975 to 2006. He served as President pro tempore of the Pennsylva ...
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 Republican representatives Gene McGill, Matt Wright,
Tom Gannon
Thomas P. Gannon (April 5, 1943 – January 10, 2021) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 161 from 1979 to 2006.
Early life and education
Gannon was ...
and
Matthew Good
Matthew Frederick Robert Good (born June 29, 1971) is a Canadian musician. He was the lead singer and songwriter for the Matthew Good Band, one of the most successful alternative rock bands in Canada during the 1990s and early 2000s. Since the ...
and Democrat Veon. The defeats were widely attributed to anger over the pay raise.
Frank LaGrotta
Frank LaGrotta (November 25, 1958) is a former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 10th District from 1987 to 2006.
Personal life
LaGrotta was born in Ellwood City.
In November 2009, Barbara McIlvaine Smith announced that she would not run for re-election in 2010, saying that she was frustrated with the progress of the post-pay raise reform movement. However, she ultimately did run for re-election in 2010 and lost to Republican challenger Dan Truitt.
Eric Epstein
Eric Epstein is a former teacher, college professor, state Senate candidate, self-employed consultant, government reform activist, radio host and nuclear watchdog from Pennsylvania.
2004 Senate Election
In 2004, Epstein lost to State Senator ...
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Drew Crompton
John Andrew "Drew" Crompton is a Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Previously, he served as chief of staff and counsel for Pennsylvania Senate Pro-Tempore Joe Scarnati. He served as deputy campaign manager for policy for Lynn ...
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Chris Lilik
Chris Lilik is a political activist from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Of Polish, Pennsylvania Dutch, and Ukrainian descent, he attended Villanova University and law school at Duquesne University.
He interned for J.C. Watts. He is editor of ...
List of Pennsylvania state legislatures
The Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, has convened many times since statehood became effective on December 12, 1787. In earlier colonial times (1682–1776) the legislature was known as the Pennsylv ...
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...