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The Beginning
n 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 signed the bill into law. The raise increased legislators' base pay from 16% to 34% depending on position. -
Checks and Balances
Metcalfe announces a package of "checks and balances" bills to terminate the judicial pay raise, reduce the term of office for judges from 10 to five years, eliminate the practice of judicial retention, and strike the constitutional provision that prohibits the reduction of a judicial salary in the middle of a term in office -
The Repeal
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 voted against the repeal. -
Continued repeal
Despite the repeal, a total of 17 legislators were defeated in the 2006 primary elections including Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer and Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill. They were the first top-ranking Pennsylvania legislative leaders to lose a primary election since 1964. -
The Judges
More than 1,000 state judges will get to keep their middle-of-the-night pay raises even though the Legislature repealed the judicial raises. -
General Election
The November 2006 General Election claimed several more members who supported the pay raise including Reps. Gene McGill, Mike Veon, Matt Wright, Tom Gannon and Matthew Good. The defeats were widely attributed to anger over the pay raise. -
Defeat in the election
Frank LaGrotta, who was defeated in the 2006 primary election over the pay raise issue, was one of many legislators who were paying back their unvouchered expenses in installments. After pleading guilty to two counts of conflict of interest for hiring relatives as "ghost employees," he stopped repayment and was even refunded the amount that he had previously returned. -
Budgets
For example, despite the rule that requires legislative sessions to end by 11 p.m. that was put in place to after the pay raise vote that took place in the early morning hours, Epstein pointed out the lawmakers wrapped up their work on the 2012-13 state budget on July 1 in the early morning hours. -
Democracy Rising
Rock the Capital and Democracy Rising PA have pulled together a survey for legislative candidates to ask them about their support for government reform initiatives. They are encouraging the public to dog their legislative candidates, regardless if they have an opponent, to complete the survey by July 31. -
Gene Stilp
Democratic lieutenant governor candidate and anti-pay raise activist Gene Stilp personally argues against the pay raise case before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Philadelphia on Tuesday, April 4
