Beacon Hill Roll Call Volume 50 – Report No. 17 April 21-25, 2025

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 your state representatives.

 

NEW HIGHER $82,044 BASE SALARY FOR REPRESENTATIVES – The base salary for the state’s 160 state representatives rose from $73,655 for the 2023-2024 session to $82,044 for the 2025-2026 session. That’s an 11.39 percent hike which means an additional $8,389 per representative. The estimated price tag for the hikes is $1,342,240.

 

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 160 representatives 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 108 representatives receive for their service in Democratic or Republican leadership positions, as committee chairs or vice chairs and as the ranking Republican on some committees.

 

Representatives’ 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 $82,044 salary means that the base House salary has been raised $35,634 or 76.7 percent, since the mandated salary adjustment became part of the state constitution in 1998.

 

$22,430.96 OR $29,907.95 FOR GENERAL EXPENSES – Each representative 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 representatives’ district offices and other expenses including contributions to local civic groups and the printing and mailing of newsletters. Representatives 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.

 

EXTRA PAY FOR 108 REPRESENTATIVES – One hundred and eight of the state’s 160 representatives receive an additional stipend, ranging from $7,776.07 to $119,631.81, above the $82,044.31 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.

 

House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy) the top Democrat, earns the highest stipend of any representatives: $119,631.81. House Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading), the top Republican, earns an $89,723.85 stipend.

 

Here are the top five representatives who are paid the highest salaries including the three categories of base pay, stipends and general expense pay allowance:

 

Reps. Ronald Mariano (D-Quincy) $224,107.08; Aaron Michlewitz (D-Boston) $201,676.11; Bradley Jones (R-North Reading) $194,199.12; Michael Moran (D-Brighton) $194,199.12; and Kate Hogan (D-Stow) $179,245.15.

 

 

The 34 representatives who receive the lowest salary of $104,475.27 are:

 

Reps. James Arena-DeRosa (D-Holliston); Michelle Badger (D-Plymouth); Michael Chaisson (R-Foxboro); Manny Cruz (D-Salem); David DeCoste (R-Norwell); Rodney Elliott (D-Lowell); Dennis Gallagher (D-Bridgewater); Colleen Garry (D-Dracut); John Gaskey (R-Carver); Ryan Hamilton (D-Methuen); Tara Hong (D-Lowell); Vanna Howard (D-Lowell); Kristin Kassner (D-Hamilton); Patrick Kearney (D-Scituate); David LeBoeuf (D-Worcester); Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica); Bill MacGregor (D-Boston); Joan Meschino (D-Hull); John Moran (D-South End); Francisco Paulino (D-Methuen); Bridget Plouffe (D-Brockton); Sean Reid (D-Lynn); Amy Sangiolo (D-Newton); Margaret Scarsdale (D-Pepperell); Gregory Schwartz (D-Newton); Danillo Sena (D-Acton); Dawne Shand (D-Newburyport); Priscila Sousa (D-Framingham); Alyson Sullivan-Almeida (R-Abington); Kenneth Sweezey (R-Hanson); Joshua Tarsky (D-Needham); Erika Uyterhoeven (D-Somerville); Marcus Vaughn (R-Wrentham); and Richard Wells (D-Milton).

 

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 – Representatives 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.

 

Representatives 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 representatives 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 – Representatives 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 per month to $2.49 per month. The same 20/80 25/75 formula used for health insurance also applies to this life insurance. Representatives 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 representative.

 

LONG-TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE AND HEALTH CARE SPENDING ACCOUNT – Representatives 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 representatives 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 representatives.

 

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

 

REPRESENTATIVES 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, representatives 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 representatives to take the deduction for all 365 days regardless of whether the Legislature is actually meeting or not. Representatives 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 representatives 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, 41 of the state’s 160 representatives 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.

 

REPRESENTATIVES 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 REPRESENTATIVES

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

 

 

 

Rep. Joseph McGonagle         $126,906.23

 

 

ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

 

JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARING – The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on several bills including:

 

PROTECT SURVIVORS OF SPOUSAL ABUSE FROM ALIMONY PAYMENTS (S 1236) – Would give the courts the authority to terminate alimony payments and deny future alimony petitions if the spouse receiving the payments has been convicted of spousal abuse.

 

The bill defines “abuse” as including “attempting to cause or causing physical harm, placing a spouse in fear of imminent serious physical harm and causing a spouse to engage involuntarily in sexual relations by force, threat or duress.”

 

“Every year, more than 12 million people in the U.S. experience violence by an intimate partner,” said sponsor Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow). “Yet, in Massachusetts, it is possible for survivors of spousal abuse, who have already taken the near impossible step of leaving an abusive marriage, to be required to pay alimony to their abuser after they escape that relationship.” He noted that he filed the measure to ensure that survivors are protected from further abuse.

 

DISABLED ADULTS AND CHILD CUSTODY (S 1164) – Would prevent a parent’s disability to be considered a negative factor in determining custody or parenting time with a child unless there is specific evidence that there is a link with the parent’s disability and a child’s alleged harm. It must also show that this harm cannot be prevented or alleviated by accommodation.

 

“Parents with disabilities sometimes lose custody of their children due to their disabilities,” said sponsor Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem). “This bill seeks to address this issue by requiring courts to find evidence of any harms when making custody decisions, explained in writing, and requiring supportive measures when appropriate that can be taken to avoid harm to the parents and their children. It will potentially help keep families together.”

 

DIGITAL ASSETS OF THE DECEASED (S 1048) – Would establish regulations over what happens to a decedent’s digital assets including social media, e-mail and online accounts.

 

Supporters said that people are unlikely to specifically designate control over these assets in a will, and companies have a patchwork of different policies on the subject or no policies at all. They noted that this often gives companies discretion over whether to provide access to an account, and family members can be left with no ability to retrieve important information, particularly in the event of an unexpected death.

 

“At the moment, there is legal uncertainty about what happens to a person’s digital assets—their email, social media and other online accounts—when they pass away,” said sponsor Sen. Cindy Creem (D-Newton). “[The bill] would make it easy to determine who, if anyone, should have access to a deceased person’s online accounts. It would also establish procedures and safeguards to prevent inappropriate disclosure of the deceased’s private communications. The legislation protects privacy while also ensuring that there is clarity about who may access the digital assets of someone who has died.”

 

HEALTH CARE SURROGATE (S 1047) – Would create a process for handling the care of incapacitated patients who don’t have a health care proxy. The measure would allow attending physicians to appoint surrogate decision makers and identifies several candidates for that role, including the incapacitated patient’s spouse, unless legally separated, parent, adult child or adult sibling.

 

Under current law, Massachusetts health care providers must go through the difficult process of seeking a judicially appointed medical guardian before even routine decisions about care can be made. Then, after a medical guardian is appointed, some decisions, including those related to transfers to nursing facilities, require additional judicial approval. These cumbersome processes are a disservice to incapacitated patients, whose care can be delayed by weeks.

 

A surrogate would not be empowered to make decisions about transferring the patient to an inpatient mental health facility nor be able to make any “extraordinary” decisions about life support, sterilization and abortion. Those decisions would continue to be determined by a court.

 

“Massachusetts is one of only four states without a statute allowing for the appointment of a health care surrogate when an incapacitated patient does not have a designated proxy,” said sponsor Sen. Cindy Cream. “[The bill] would create a more practical process for making medical decisions in such cases, while preserving important safeguards. Certain decisions would still require additional judicial approval, ensuring continued oversight. The bill strikes a careful balance by allowing timely care decisions to be made in the patient’s best interest, while respecting their rights and aligning as closely as possible with their known values and wishes.”

 

QUOTABLE QUOTES

“Massachusetts has some of the most beautiful state parks in the country, and it takes all of us to preserve them for generations to come. In honor of Earth Day, it’s nice to get outside and celebrate our natural spaces.”

—Gov. Maura Healey who along with First Lady Joanna Lydgate, visited Torbert MacDonald State Park in Medford to celebrate Earth Day.

 

“Massachusetts is hemorrhaging private sector jobs, and the Healey administration’s answer is to bloat the government at a time when our state’s fiscal wellbeing is in a very tenuous position. This isn’t job growth—it’s political insulation, and taxpayers are the ones footing the bill.”

—Paul Craney, executive director of the Mass Fiscal Alliance on newly released employment data which he says revealed a net loss of 24,800 private sector jobs over the last year.

 

“When employers violate our laws, including through wage theft and untimely payments, workers are unfairly harmed, exploited and financially deprived. My office will continue to enforce our laws to protect and empower workers, reminding employers that Massachusetts is serious about workers’ rights.”

—Attorney General Andrea Campbell announcing that Swissport, a North Carolina-based airport services company that employs workers at Boston’s Logan Airport, will pay $3.1 million In restitution and penalties to resolve allegations, including failure to make timely payments and pay overtime to more than 2,000 airport workers.

 

“The persistent increase in antisemitic incidents over the past five years is a stark reminder that antisemitism continues to impact our communities. Particularly concerning is the continued proliferation of extremist incidents and the rise of attacks against Orthodox Jews. The alarming manifestations of antisemitism in 2024 instill fear and are reminders that much work remains to be done.”

— Samantha Joseph, Anti-Defamation League New England’s Regional Director, on the group’s annual audit of antisemitic incidents reporting a total of 638 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism in 2024 within the five-state region of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. She said that this is the fifth year in a row that antisemitic incidents increased and broke the previous all-time high in 2023.

 

“MAGA Mike Kennealy is quickly proving that he is not ready for prime time. The fact that Mike Kennealy admits that he didn’t even make a choice for President in three of the most consequential elections of our lifetime is a sad statement on his leadership.”

— Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan on Republican candidate for governor Mike Kennealy’s acknowledgement that he did not vote for a president in the last three elections in 2016, 2020 and 2024, when Donald Trump was on the ballot.

 

“If the MassDems care about strong leadership on issues like housing, the migrant crisis and the economy, their options are support Mike Kennealy or recruit a primary challenger to Maura Healey. She has failed miserably on all of the issues Massachusetts residents care about.”

— Ben Hincher, campaign manager for Mike Kennealy, responding to Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan.

 

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 April 21-25, the House met for a total of seven minutes while the Senate met for a total of 25 minutes.

 

Mon.   April 21  No House session

No Senate session

 

Tues.  April 22  House  11:01 a.m. to 11:04 a.m.

Senate 11:11 a.m. to 11:32 a.m.

 

Wed.   April 23  No House session

No Senate session

 

Thurs. April 24  House  11:00 a.m. to 11:04 a.m.

Senate 11:06 a.m. to 11:10 a.m.

 

Fri.   April 25  No House session

No Senate session

 

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bo*@****************ll.com

 

Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975 and was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) Hall of Fame in 2019.