Pennsylvania’s top officials will see a bump in their paychecks, but you won’t hear about a vote on it.
That’s because annual cost-of-living adjustments for state executives, lawmakers and judges are automatic under a 1995 law. The increases are designed to offset inflation and are tied to the consumer price index.
This year, that means a 1.6 percent raise.
Some officials say the increases are not so much raises but adjustments to keep the wages consistent with buying power. Critics say they’re a way for officials to increase their salaries without putting their names to a vote.
“I think they should have to vote on it,” said Dean Klopp of Bethel Township, coordinator of the Tri-county Campaign for Liberty, a constitutional conservative group. “That way we know where our representatives stand.”