An Act To Increase the Salaries of the Governor and Legislators

Sec. 1. 2 MRSA §1,  as amended by PL 1993, c. 361, Pt. B, §1, is further amended to read:

§ 1. Residence; office hours; secretary; salary

The Governor shall have his Governor's official residence is located at Augusta during his the Governor's term of office, and the Governor shall keep his the Governor's office at the State House open for the transaction of the business of the State during all normal working hours of the State House.

In the absence of the Governor, his the Governor's private secretary shall be in attendance and the private secretary shall devote his the entire time to the duties of his the private secretary's office.

Until the first Wednesday of January 1987, the Governor shall receive receives an annual salary of $35,000. Beginning the first Wednesday of January 1987, the Governor shall receive receives an annual salary of $70,000. Beginning the first Wednesday of January 2019, the Governor receives an annual salary of $150,000.

A former Governor may accept as a personal gift from the State at the end of his the Governor's final term the desk and chair used by that Governor as Governor.

Sec. 2. 3 MRSA §2, first ¶,  as amended by PL 2011, c. 380, Pt. QQQQ, §1, is further amended to read:

Each member of the Senate and House of Representatives, beginning with the first Wednesday of December 2000 and thereafter, is entitled to $10,815 in the first year and $7,725 in the 2nd year of each biennium, except that if a Legislator who is a recipient of retirement benefits from the federal Social Security Administration files a written request with the Executive Director of the Legislative Council within one week after the biennium commences, the Legislator is entitled to $9,270 in each year of the biennium. Each member of the Senate and the House of Representatives must receive a cost-of-living adjustment in annual legislative salary, except that the percentage increase may not exceed 5% in any year, and except that the percentage increase may not exceed 3% beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014. Beginning December 1, 2001, the salary for each legislative session must be adjusted each December 1st by the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for the most recently concluded fiscal year; except that no member of the Senate or the House of Representatives may receive a cost-of-living adjustment in annual legislative salary for the Second Regular Session of the 124th Legislature, and except that no member of the Senate or the House of Representatives may receive a cost-of-living adjustment in annual legislative salary for the Second Regular Session of the 125th Legislature and the First Regular Session and the Second Regular Session of the 126th Legislature, and any percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2011, June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2013 may not be applied to the base salary. Beginning the first Wednesday of December 2018, each member of the Senate and House of Representatives is entitled to $24,000 in the first year and $17,000 in the 2nd year of each biennium, except that if a Legislator who is a recipient of retirement benefits from the federal Social Security Administration files a written request with the Executive Director of the Legislative Council within one week after the biennium commences, the Legislator is entitled to $20,500 in each year of the biennium. In addition, each Legislator is entitled to be paid for travel at each legislative session once each week at the same rate per mile to and from that Legislator's place of abode as state employees receive, the mileage to be determined by the most reasonable direct route, except that Legislators may be reimbursed for tolls paid for travel on the Maine Turnpike as long as they have a receipt for payment of the tolls, such tolls to be reimbursed when Legislators use the Maine Turnpike in traveling to and from sessions of the Legislature or in performance of duly authorized committee assignments. Each Legislator is entitled to mileage on the first day of the session, and those amounts of salary and expenses at such times as the Legislature may determine during the session, and the balance at the end of the session.

SUMMARY

This bill increases the Governor's salary in January of 2019 from $70,000 per year to $150,000 per year and increases legislative salaries in December of 2018 from $14,271.35 for the first year of the biennium and $10,157.52 for the 2nd year of the biennium to $24,000 for the first year of the biennium and $17,000 for the 2nd year of the biennium.