Politics & Government

Sen. Bates Among Lawmakers to Reject Automatic Pay Raise

David Bates turns down 2.1 percent boost; he represents Riverside and Barrington in the state Senate.

A state senator who represents Barrington and part of East Providence is one of a handful of state lawmakers who  turned down a pay raise that went into effect automatically on July 1. 

Sen. David Bates is one of nine part-time lawmakers who declined the 2.1 percent raise, according to the Providence Journal. 

Their pay went up without a vote under a provision in the RI Constitution that says their pay is adjusted annually based on the cost of living as computed by the federal government.

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The increase boosts annual pay for rank-and-file representatives and senators to $14,947; the House speaker and Senate president get twice as much, $29,894.

Lawmakers who want to reject the pay increase must do it in writing.

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The other senators who rejected the pay raise: Sens. Dennis Algiere, R-Westerly, Dawson Hodgson, R-North Kingstown, Nicholas Kettle, R-Coventry, Edward O'Neill, I-Lincoln, Christopher Ottiano, R-Portsmouth, Adam Satchell, D-West Warwick and James Sheehan, D-North Kingstown. 

Rep. Michael Chippendale, R-Foster, is the only House member believed to have rejected the raise so far.

At least 40 legislators rejected last year’s raise; 7 of them lost re-election bids.


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