An Act Requiring Voter Approval of Legislative and Gubernatorial
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0775
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: TUELL, MOORE
Amends: 2 MRSA §1, 3 MRSA §2

Legislative Document
No. 775
H.P. 498
House of Representatives, February 25, 2025
An Act Requiring Voter Approval of Legislative and Gubernatorial 
Pay Increases
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative TUELL of East Machias.
Cosponsored by Senator MOORE of Washington and
Representative: MCINTYRE of Lowell.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  2 MRSA §1, as amended by PL 2023, c. 488, §1, is further amended by 
enacting after the 3rd paragraph a new paragraph to read:
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a measure providing for an 
increase in the annual salary of the Governor enacted by the Legislature with an effective 
date after the first Wednesday of January 2027 must include provisions requiring the salary 
increase to be submitted to the legal voters of the State for approval or rejection at the next 
general election held in the month of November following the enactment of the measure. 
For the purposes of this section, "general election" has the same meaning as in Title 21-A, 
section 1, subsection 19.
Sec. 2.  3 MRSA §2, first ¶, as amended by PL 2023, c. 446, §1, is further amended 
to read:
Each member of the Senate and House of Representatives, beginning with the first 
Wednesday of December 2000 until the day before the first Wednesday of December 2024, 
is entitled to $10,815 in the first year and $7,725 in the 2nd year of each biennium, except 
that if a Legislator who is a recipient of retirement benefits from the federal Social Security 
Administration files a written request with the Executive Director of the Legislative 
Council within one week after the biennium commences, the Legislator is entitled to $9,270 
in each year of the biennium.  Beginning with the first Wednesday of December 2024, each 
member of the Senate and House of Representatives is entitled to $25,000 in the first year 
and $20,000 in the 2nd year of each biennium, except that if a Legislator who is a recipient 
of retirement benefits from the federal Social Security Administration files a written 
request with the Executive Director of the Legislative Council within one week after the 
biennium commences, the Legislator is entitled to $22,500 in each year of the biennium.  
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a measure providing for a salary 
increase for members of the Senate and House of Representatives enacted by the 
Legislature with an effective date after the first Wednesday of December 2024, excluding 
the cost-of-living adjustment provided in this section, must include provisions requiring 
the salary increase to be submitted to the legal voters of the State for approval or rejection 
at the next general election held in the month of November following the enactment of the 
measure. For the purposes of this section, "general election" has the same meaning as in 
Title 21-A, section 1, subsection 19.  Each member of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives must receive a cost-of-living adjustment in annual legislative salary, 
except that the percentage increase may not exceed 5% in any year, and except that the 
percentage increase may not exceed 3% beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 
2014.  Beginning December 1, 2001, the salary for each legislative session must be adjusted 
each December 1st by the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for the most 
recently concluded fiscal year; except that a member of the Senate or the House of 
Representatives may not receive a cost-of-living adjustment in annual legislative salary for 
the Second Regular Session of the 124th Legislature, and except that a member of the 
Senate or the House of Representatives may not receive a cost-of-living adjustment in 
annual legislative salary for the Second Regular Session of the 125th Legislature and the 
percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2011, 
June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2013 may not be applied to the base salary.  In addition, each 
Legislator is entitled to be paid mileage for travel at each legislative session to and from 
that Legislator's place of abode at a rate of 55¢ per mile or the federal standard mileage 
rate, whichever is lower, the mileage to be determined by the most reasonable direct route, 
except that Legislators may be reimbursed for tolls paid for travel on the Maine Turnpike 
as long as they have a receipt for payment of the tolls, such tolls to be reimbursed when 
Legislators use the Maine Turnpike in traveling to and from sessions of the Legislature or 
in performance of duly authorized committee assignments.  Each Legislator is entitled to 
mileage on the first day of the session, and those amounts of salary and expenses at such 
times as the Legislature may determine during the session, and the balance at the end of the 
session.
SUMMARY
This bill requires that any measure providing for an increase in the annual salary of the 
Governor enacted by the Legislature with an effective date after the first Wednesday of 
January 2027 must include provisions requiring the salary increase to be submitted to the 
legal voters of the State for approval or rejection at the next general election held in the 
month of November following the enactment of the measure. The bill also requires that any 
measure providing for a salary increase for members of the Senate and House of 
Representatives enacted by the Legislature with an effective date after the first Wednesday 
of December 2024, excluding the cost-of-living adjustment, must include provisions 
requiring the salary increase to be submitted to the legal voters of the State for approval or 
rejection at the next general election held in the month of November following the 
enactment of the measure.