Pennsylvania leaders return $191,000 to state

December 4, 2010
By Brad Burnsted
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

HARRISBURG -- Rep. Randy Vulakovich returned $7,800 to taxpayers, more than double the amount any other lawmaker gave back to the state Treasury over the past two years when spurning cost-of-living adjustments, records show.

"I wanted to set an example, because we are in bad times and have been for a while," said Vulakovich, a Republican. The former Shaler police officer effectively froze his legislative salary at the 2006 level, about $73,000.

Overall, 130 House and Senate members sent $191,193 back to the Treasury Department, rejecting all or part of the $2,132, or 2.8 percent, cost-of-living raises automatically awarded to lawmakers in December 2008, records show. The raises are based on the Consumer Price Index for the region.

The law provided no cost-of-living raise in 2009, but some legislators through November continued to return increases approved earlier.

Treasury records show 12 lawmakers returned less than $400. During the two-year period, Rep. Joseph Markosek, D-Monroeville, made one payment of $116 in December 2008. He could not be reached for comment.

A 1.7 percent increase for legislators, judges and top state officials took effect Wednesday. That raised lawmakers' salaries from $78,315 to $79,646.

Auditor General Jack Wagner suggested a one-year moratorium on the cost-of-living raise. Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York, proposed legislation to repeal the raise.

Some legislators and Gov. Ed Rendell quickly announced they would reject their raises or give the money to charity.

"They can vote to end it tomorrow," said Mark Schwartz of Bryn Mawr, a former aide to the late House Speaker K. Leroy Irvis, an Oakland Democrat. "Let's stop the charade of giving it away or giving it back." Doing so doesn't solve the problem and enables legislators to look good publicly, Schwartz said.

Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, returned $600 since December 2008, records show. Frankel said Friday he intended to return the entire amount in 2009. He said he would check his records and, if he was wrong, return the entire amount.

Frankel promised to return the latest raise, as well.

Lawmakers created the automatic increases 15 years ago, saying they did so to eliminate substantial pay raises in the future. It didn't stop the Legislature from approving an ill-fated 2005 pay hike, which stoked voters' anger and was repealed.

"It's not a mechanism to end pay raises. It's a mechanism to perpetuate them, and legislators don't have to vote on them," Schwartz said.

Other area legislators returning less than $400 include Rep. Jesse White, D-Washington County, who returned $366. Former Rep. Don Walko of the North Side, who began serving on the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court in January, returned $312 in January and February 2009. Rep. Peter Daley, D-Washington County, returned $239 in January 2009. None could be reached for comment by phone or e-mail.