HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) \u2013 Pennsylvania\u2019s lawmakers received a pay raise on Monday, but they\u2019re not all happy about it.<\/p>\n
The annual pay raise is mandated by law to keep lawmakers from being forced to vote themselves an increase.<\/p>\n
Close<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Watch for us in your inbox.<\/p>\n Subscribe Now<\/p>\n In 2005, lawmakers enriched themselves in the middle of the night, a pay raise that angered voters and cost many their jobs. After that, lawmakers implemented the COLA to ensure they\u2019re not voting themselves a raise.<\/p>\n The Cost of Living Adjustment is based on a consumer price formula, and this year it is 3.25%.<\/p>\n Rank-and-file lawmakers will go from $110,000 a year to more than $113,500 a year, and legislative leaders will earn more.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s Groundhog Day again, with an emphasis on the hog,\u201d said \u201cgood government\u201d advocate Eric Epstein with Rock the Capital.<\/p>\n Epstein said raises shouldn\u2019t be automatic, and given that the state budget was more than four months late<\/a>, it wasn\u2019t earned.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t get a budget done, which is their job,\u201d added Epstein. \u201cAnd while they weren\u2019t getting a budget done, they were getting paid and having fundraisers<\/a> and, to cap it off, they get another 3.25%. It\u2019s insane.\u201d<\/p>\n State Rep. Justin Fleming (D-Dauphin) said the automatic raise is \u201ccertainly not ideal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI will absolutely acknowledge that,\u201d Fleming added.<\/p>\n Fleming understands the poor optics of a pay rise following a budget standoff, but he said he\u2019s fighting for policies for working families and retirees.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m focused on not only myself, but our residents and my constituents,\u201d said Fleming. \u201cHow we can make everybody more prosperous. That\u2019s my role. And I think rather than sort of honing in on this COLA that happens once every year, let\u2019s figure out policies that can enrich everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n A change to the COLA system would require a vote by lawmakers, which is not expected anytime soon.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n