Capitol staffers land hefty raises

The decision last year to suspend the staff bonuses led to a new pay plan for House Republican staffers. Bonuses were the only way staffers at the top of the pay scale could get raises under the old pay plan, said caucus spokesman Steve Miskin.

The House Democratic and Senate Republican caucuses might take a new look at how staffers are paid in light of the suspension of bonuses.

House staffers' salary information for 2007, which listed salaries ranging from $27.20 to $174,194, is provided in a different way than it was the prior year. The latest report shows compensation paid to each staffer from Jan. 1, 2007, to Dec. 31, 2007, and, in the case of departing employees, includes leave payouts.

The House report on 2006 pay was more of a snapshot of salaries taken on Jan. 30, 2007, officials said. Roger Nick, the House chief clerk, said the 2008 salary report is a more accurate reflection of compensation. House officials discouraged comparison between the two salary reports.

About 600 staffers received compensation increases of at least 4 percent in 2007 compared with the 2006 report. For about 130 House employees, the increases were 10 percent or greater.

"Citizens don't begrudge people making a decent living in public service. However, they definitely question the need for having one of the most expansive and most expensive legislatures in the nation," said Matthew Brouillette, the president of the Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative policy center in Harrisburg.

Before instituting the new pay plan, House Republicans boosted secretaries' base pay last year by 10 percent, to $26,500, to attract and retain good employees, Miskin said.

Senate Democrats have been phasing in a new pay plan in the last few years to make their staff salaries more competitive and to recognize the rare expertise and advanced degrees of some top staffers, caucus spokesman Charlie Tocci said. The update was the first in 24 years.

The Senate has unanimously passed a bill that would make most bonuses to state government employees illegal. The bill awaits action in the House.

Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph Scarnati, R-Jefferson, said the lack of public support for bonuses convinced him it is soon time to evaluate his caucus staffers' salary structure to ensure that pay levels are competitive. Still, he said, he wants to control costs and cut positions where possible. Scarnati ordered the layoffs of about a dozen employees last year.

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