Amendment #35 to H2019

Legislator Pay Equity

Mr. Holmes of Boston moves to amend the order by striking out Rule 4A;

by striking out, in lines 584 and 585, the words “Speaker pro Tempore, the Majority Floor Leader,”;

by inserting after the word “committee”, in line 603, the words “except the chair of the Ways and Means committee, who shall be elected pursuant to Rule 18D”;

by inserting after Rule 18C the following 2 Rules:-

“18D. The majority party shall elect and may remove the Speaker, the Speaker pro Tempore, the Majority Floor Leader and the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee.  Nominations for each position shall be made by a vote of the party caucus.  The election of each position shall be made on the floor of the House.

18E. Notwithstanding sections 9B or 9C of chapter 3 of the General Laws, members of the House shall be compensated as follows:

(1)The Speaker shall receive for each regular annual session, in addition to the base compensation calculated pursuant to Article CXVIII, additional regular compensation in the amount of $50,000.

(2)The chair of the Ways and Means Committee shall receive for each regular annual session, in addition to the base compensation calculated pursuant to Article CXVIII, additional regular compensation in the amount of $35,000.

(3)The Majority Leader and the Minority Leader shall receive for each regular annual session, in addition to the base compensation calculated pursuant to Article CXVIII, additional regular compensation in the amount of $30,000.

(4)The Speaker Pro Tempore shall receive for each regular annual session, in addition to the base compensation calculated pursuant to Article CXVIII, additional regular compensation in the amount of $25,000.

(5)Each member of the House shall annually receive an amount for expenses to be paid as follows: (i) for members whose primary residence is located at a distance that is equal to or less than 50 miles from the state house, $12,500; and (ii) for members whose primary residence is located at a distance that is greater than 50 miles from the state house, $17,500.

(6)Each member of the House shall receive for each regular annual session, in addition to the base compensation calculated pursuant to Article CXVIII, additional regular compensation in the amount of $15,000.

The amount of additional regular compensation established pursuant to this rule for each regular annual session, exclusive of the base compensation calculated pursuant to Article CXVIII, shall be adjusted biennially to reflect the aggregate quarterly change in salaries and wages in the commonwealth for the most recent 8 quarters as determined by the Bureau of Economic Analysis in the United States Department of Commerce; provided, however, that the amount of additional regular compensation for any regular annual session, exclusive of the base compensation calculated pursuant to Article CXVIII, shall not be less than that provided in this rule.  Members of the House shall be compensated exclusively as provided in this rule.”;

by striking out Rule 23A;

and by adding the following Rule:-

“XX. The Director of Human Resources and the EEO Officer shall develop a proposal for the equitable compensation of all House members.  Compensation shall be construed broadly to include all forms of remuneration related to membership in the House.  The proposal shall consider, without limitation:- the payment of any compensation in addition to the base compensation calculated pursuant to Article CXVIII; the number of employees assigned to each member; the allocation of travel or leadership opportunities by the Speaker or Minority Leader or other member of the majority or minority party; and the assignment of office space.  The proposal shall list all inequities identified by the Director and EEO Officer and include specific recommendations to remediate those inequities.  The Director and the EEO Officer shall submit the proposal for the equitable compensation of all House members to the Committee on Rules no later than November 15, 2020.  The Committee on Rules shall draft and file House Rules to implement the proposal no later than February 1, 2021.”.