Massachusetts Legislative Stipend Calculation and Payment Rules Initiative (2026)

Massachusetts Legislative Stipend Calculation and Payment Rules Initiative
Election date November 3, 2026
Topic Salaries of government officials
Status Certified to the legislature
Type Indirect initiated state statute	Origin Citizens

The Massachusetts Legislative Stipend Calculation and Payment Rules Initiative may be on the ballot in Massachusetts as an indirect initiated state statute on November 3, 2026.

The ballot initiative would change the method of calculating the stipends that state legislators receive in addition to their base salaries. Under the initiative:

• the Senate President and Speaker of the House would receive a stipend up to 75% of their base salary;
• the majority and minority party leaders of the House and the Senate, as well as the chairs of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees would receive a stipend of up to 50% of their base salaries;
• the majority and minority party assistant and second assistant floor leaders of the House and Senate, the third assistant floor leaders of the majority party in the House and the Senate, the vice chairs and ranking minority members of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees would receive a stipend of up to 33% of their base salaries; and
• members of eligible committees would receive a stipend of up to 20% of their base salaries.

The initiative would also define what legislators are eligible for multiple stipends and the terms for the payment of legislative stipends.

Measure design

See also: Text of measure

Click on the following sections for summaries of the different provisions of the ballot initiative.

Expand All

Additional compensation stipends for legislative leadership positions

Under the initiative, the following legislative leadership offices would be eligible for additional compensation stipends:

• the Senate president and speaker of the House would receive a stipend up to 75% of their base salary;
• the majority and minority party leaders of the House and the Senate, as well as the chairs of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees, would receive a stipend of up to 50% of their base salaries;
• the majority and minority party assistant and second assistant floor leaders of the House and Senate, the third assistant floor leaders of the majority party in the House and the Senate, and the vice chairs and ranking minority members of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees would receive a stipend of up to 33% of their base salaries;
• Senate chairs and House chairs of eligible committees would receive a stipend of up to 33% of their base salaries;

No senator could receive an additional stipend for more than two positions as described above. No representative could receive an additional stipend for more than one position as described above.

Additional compensation stipends for members of eligible committees

Under the initiative, the majority and minority party leaders of the Senate, the chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, the majority and minority party assistant and second assistant floor leaders of the Senate, the third assistant floor leaders of the majority party in the Senate, and the vice chair and ranking minority members of the Senate Ways and Means Committee would be able to receive an additional compensation stipend of up to 20% of their base salaries if they are members of one or more eligible committee. Senate chairs of eligible committees that are members of more than one eligible committee would be able to receive an additional compensation stipend of up to 20% of their base salary.

Other senators and representatives who do not occupy leadership roles defined above would be able to receive an additional compensation stipend of up to 20% of their base salary if they are members of one or more eligible committees.

Additionally, a senator who does not occupy a leadership role defined above would be able to receive an additional compensation stipend of up to 20% of their base salary if they are a member of four or more eligible committees.

No senator may receive an additional stipend for more than two positions as described above. No representative may receive an additional stipend for more than one position as described above.

Definition of an eligible committee

An eligible committee would be defined as a committee that the Senate or House refers more than 50 bills to by March 1 of the first year of a two-year legislative session.

Timeline for payment of additional compensation stipends

Under the initiative, legislators who are eligible for additional compensation would receive 50% of the stipend prorated throughout the year in their bi-weekly pay periods. The other 50% of the stipend would be paid in the last pay period of the year.

If a legislator meets one of the requirements for receiving an additional compensation stipend for only part of the year, their stipend amount would be prorated according to the percentage of the year they served in that position.

The following legislative leaders would have their year-end stipend portion calculated by multiplying 50% of their additional compensation stipend by that year's compliance percentage:

• president of the Senate;
• speaker of the House;
• chairs of the Senate and House Ways and Means Committees;
• the floor leaders of the majority and minority parties in the Senate and House;
• the majority and minority party assistant and second assistant floor leaders of the House and Senate;
• the third assistant floor leaders of the majority party in the House and the Senate; and
• the vice chairs and ranking minority members of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees.

Definition of compliance percentage

The monetary amount of an additional compensation stipend could be altered by what the initiative defines as the legislature's compliance percentage. Compliance percentage is defined as the percentage of eligible committees that have achieved first-year or second-year compliance in a given year.

First-year compliance is achieved in an eligible committee that has a public hearing for each bill referred to it before November 1. The committee must announce and hold a public meeting to make amendments to each bill referred to it before November 1. Additionally, the committee must approve every report it makes by a public majority vote with enough committee members present at the vote to constitute a quorum.

Second-year compliance is achieved in an eligible committee in the same way that first-year compliance is achieved, except that the committee only needs to meet those requirements for bills referred to it before April 15.

The clerk of the Senate and the clerk of the House would be jointly responsible for certifying if an eligible committee has attained first-year or second-year compliance. They would together calculate the legislature's compliance percentage.

Text of measure

Full text

The full text of the ballot initiative can be read here.

Support

Massachusetts Stipend Reform is leading the campaign in support of the measure.

Supporters

Officials

• State Auditor Diana DiZoglio (D)

Former Officials

• Former State Rep. Jonathan Hecht (D)
• Former State Rep. Jay Kaufman (D)

Organizations

• Act on Mass
• Coalition to Reform Our Legislature
• Partners in Democracy

Arguments

• Massachusetts Stipend Reform: "Massachusetts’s system of ‘leadership stipends’ is an outlier among the 50 states. Out of 200 MA state senators and representatives, 149 receive ‘leadership stipends.’ Stipends can go upwards of $119,000 on top of a legislator’s base salary (currently $82,044). Since 2015, the legislature has quadrupled the amount of taxpayer money spent on stipends to $5.4 million. This centralizes control and stifles dissent. Stipends are doled out at the sole discretion of the Senate President, Speaker of the House, or minority party leaders and can be taken away by them at any time. Removal of stipends has been occurred for criticizing the speaker or speaking to the media without permission. Legislators are forced to capitulate to leadership or end up sidelined."
• Former State Rep. Jonathan Hecht (D-29th Middlesex): "Legislators in Massachusetts are financially dependent on leadership, and dependency breeds deference. Legislators wait to be told what to do. Acting openly and independently risks losing significant income."
• Jeanne Kempthorne, cofounder of the Coalition to Reform Our Legislature: "While one would think that the fundamental job of legislators is to write and pass legislation, rank and file legislators do not have sufficient staff who can be relied upon to expertly draft bills. Disempowered legislators and overburdened staff focus instead on local earmarks and constituent services, leaving the formulation of major bills to leadership and lobbyists. No shock, then, that little of statewide significance gets done."

Opposition

Opponents

Ballotpedia has not located a campaign in opposition to the ballot measure. You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, with us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Arguments

You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls and 2026 ballot measure polls

The following poll did not ask respondents about their support or opposition to the proposal itself.

Suffolk University Political Research Center/The Boston Globe surveyed 500 registered voters between November 19 and November 23, 2025. The survey's margin of error was 4.4%. The question was: "Currently, 3 in 4 Massachusetts Legislators receive extra stipends known as 'leadership pay.' This includes stipends for roles like committee vice chairs, which are at the lower end, and for positions like the House Speaker and Senate President, who receive the highest additional compensation. This additional pay can add between $7,000 to more than $100,000 to a lawmaker's salary. Proposed ballot questions would reform the stipend system or end it entirely. Would you support ending or changing the current stipend system for legislative pay? Here are three options:

• Support ending extra stipends
• Support changing extra stipends
• Oppose all changes"

Of those surveyed:

• 30.0% selected "Support ending extra stipends;"
• 47.6% selected "Support changing extra stipends;"
• 11.6% selected "Oppose all changes;"
• 9.8% were undecided; and
• 1.0% refused to answer.

Background

Legislative stipends in Massachusetts

In 2025, the base salary was $82,044.31 for both state senators and representatives. For state Senators, the average additional pay, such as from stipends for leadership positions, was $83,562.10. The average total pay for members of the state Senate was $164,554.02. For state Representatives, the average additional pay was $43,948.07. The average total pay for members of the state House was $125,175.52.

In Massachusetts, the base compensation of legislators is set in Article CXVIII of the state constitution. Beginning in 2001, the base compensation level increases every two years based on the rate of change in the median household income in the state for the preceding two years. Additional compensation, such as stipends, is set in state law. The state legislature has the authority to change the amount, frequency, and availability of stipends.

Legislative salaries in the United States

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

There is a significant amount of variance in legislator salaries among the 50 states. The variance is due many factors, one of which being that some state legislators work part-time in the government and maintain jobs outside the legislature. Massachusetts is one of ten states where the state legislature meets full time.

The following table details the salaries and per diem compensation for state legislators across the country in 2025. Click here for methodology on how this data was collected.

State	Salary	Per diem	Type
Alabama	$62,212/year	No per diem is paid to legislators whose permanent residence is less than six hours away. The daily rate is $12.75 for 6–12 hour trips and $34 for non-overnight trips over 12 hours. Overnight per diem is $85 for one night or $100 per day for two or more nights.	Hybrid
Alaska	$84,000/year	Non-Juneau legislators receive a per diem of $307 per day; Juneau legislators receive none.	Full-time
Arizona	$24,000/year	For legislators residing within Maricopa County: $35/day. For legislators residing outside of Maricopa County: $269.33.	Hybrid
Arkansas	$45,244/year	No data available for 2025.	Hybrid
California	$132,703/year	$236/day	Full-time
Colorado	$47,561/year for legislators whose terms began in 2025. $43,977/year for legislators whose terms began in 2023.	For legislators residing within 50 miles of the Capitol: $45/day. For legislators living more than 50 miles from the Capitol: $238/day.	Hybrid
Connecticut	$43,600/year	No per diem is paid.	Hybrid
Delaware	$51,692/year	No per diem is paid.	Hybrid
Florida	$29,697/year	$175/day for a maximum of 60 days.	Hybrid
Georgia	$25,315.32/year	$247/day	Hybrid
Hawaii	$74,160/year	$225/day; only for legislators who do not reside on Oahu.	Full-time
Idaho	$25,000/year	For legislators residing within 50 miles of the Capitol: $86/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the Capitol: $253/day.	Part-time
Illinois	$93,712/year	$178/day	Full-time
Indiana	$33,032.24/year	$213/day.	Hybrid
Iowa	$25,000/year	$201/day for legislators who live outside of Polk County. $150.75/day for legislators who live within Polk County.	Hybrid
Kansas	$43,000/year	$178/day	Part-time
Kentucky	$203.28/calendar day for legislators elected before December 31, 2024. $221.94/calendar day for legislators elected after January 1, 2025.	$195.80/day	Hybrid
Louisiana	$16,800/year; plus an additional $6,000/year as an unvouchered expense	$178/day.	Hybrid
Maine	$25,000 for the first regular session. $20,000 for the second regular session.	$70/day for lodging (or round-trip mileage up to $0.55/mile in lieu of housing, plus tolls). $50/day for meals.	Part-time
Maryland	$55,526/year	$125/day for lodging. $63/day for meals.	Hybrid
Massachusetts	$82,044.31/year	No per diem is paid.	Full-time
Michigan	$71,685/year	No per diem is paid.	Full-time
Minnesota	$51,750/year	$86/day	Hybrid
Mississippi	$23,500/year	House members receive no per diem during session, but are eligible for $40 per day outside of session. Senate per diem information was unavailable.	Part-time
Missouri	$41,770/year	$142.40/day	Hybrid
Montana	$128.86/legislative day	$206/day	Part-time
Nebraska	$12,000/year	For legislators residing within 50 miles of the Capitol: $68/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the Capitol: $178/day.	Hybrid
Nevada	$130/legislative day	The exact amount members received for per diem was unavailable.	Hybrid
New Hampshire	$100/year	No per diem is paid.	Part-time
New Jersey	$49,000/year	No per diem is paid.	Hybrid
New Mexico	$0/year	$202/day	Part-time
New York	$142,000/year	$203/day	Full-time
North Carolina	$13,951/year	$104/day	Hybrid
North Dakota	$592/month	$213/day	Part-time
Ohio	$72,343/year	No per diem is paid during session.	Full-time
Oklahoma	$47,500/year	$196/day for legislators who live more than 50 miles from the Capitol.	Hybrid
Oregon	$43,440/year	$178/day	Hybrid
Pennsylvania	$110,015.54/year	$198/day	Full-time
Rhode Island	$19,817/year	No per diem is paid.	Part-time
South Carolina	$10,400/year	$240.07/day	Hybrid
South Dakota	$16,348/year	$178/day for legislators who reside more than 50 miles away from the Capitol.	Part-time
Tennessee	$33,060/year	$379.44/day. Legislators living within 50 miles of the Capitol receive a reduced amount of $86 per day.	Hybrid
Texas	$7,200/year	$221/day	Hybrid
Utah	$301/legislative day	Per diem is reimbursed to state legislators when they submit receipts or turn in expense reports.	Part-time
Vermont	$897.29/week during session	Members can receive $74/day for meals and $167/night for lodging	Part-time
Virginia	$18,000/year for senators. $17,640/year for delegates.	$237/day	Hybrid
Washington	$60,191/year for senators. $61,997/year for representatives.	$206/day	Hybrid
West Virginia	$23,000/year	$75/day for members who commute daily. $175/day for members who do not commute daily.	Part-time
Wisconsin	$60,924/year	$140/day for senators. Dane County senators are allowed half that amount. $171/day for representatives (with overnight) or $85.50/day (no overnight). Dane County representatives receive only $85.50/day.	Full-time
Wyoming	$150/day	Members can receive $68/day for meals and $110/night for lodging	Part-time

Path to the ballot

Process in Massachusetts

See also: Laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts

An indirect initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are nine (9) states that allow citizens to initiate indirect state statutes.

While a direct initiative is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiative is first presented to the state legislature. Legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. Should legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide.

In Massachusetts, the number of signatures required for an indirect initiated state statute is equal to 3% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Massachusetts also has a distribution requirement that requires no more than 25% of the certified signatures on any petition can come from a single county.

The state Legislature has until the first Wednesday of May in the election year to pass the statute. If the legislature does not pass the proposed statute, proponents must collect a second round of signatures equal to 0.5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. The Legislature also has the power to place an alternative measure alongside the proposed statute via a simple majority vote of the state legislature.

A simple majority vote is required for voter approval. However, the number of affirmative votes cast for the measure must be greater than 30% of the votes cast in the election.

The requirements to get an initiated state statute certified for the 2026 ballot:

• Signatures (first round): 74,574
• Signatures (second round): 12,429
• Deadline (first round): The deadline to submit the first round of signatures to the secretary of state was December 3, 2025.
• Deadline (second round): The deadline to submit the second round of signatures is July 8, 2026.

Stages of the ballot initiative

The following is the timeline of the initiative:

• August 7, 2025: The Massachusetts Attorney General announced that the initiative had been filed.
• September 3, 2025: The Massachusetts Attorney General announced that the initiative had been cleared and that supporters could begin gathering signatures for the initiative.
• November 19, 2025: Jonathan Hecht announced that the campaign had gathered more than 90,000 signatures in support of the initiative.
• December 30, 2025: The state Elections Division announced that it had certified 96,797 valid signatures in support of the initiative. As such, it was certified to go before the state legislature in the 2026 legislative session.

External links

• Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General - Ballot Initiatives for the 2026 and 2028 Statewide Elections

See also

2026 ballot measures

View other measures certified for the 2026 ballot across the U.S. and in Massachusetts.

• 2026 ballot measures
• Massachusetts 2026 ballot measures
• Massachusetts elections, 2026

Massachusetts ballot measures

Explore Massachusetts's ballot measure history, including citizen-initiated ballot measures.

• List of Massachusetts ballot measures
• Massachusetts Historical Ballot Measures Factbook
• Salaries of government officials ballot measures
• Massachusetts State Legislature

Initiative process

Understand how measures are placed on the ballot and the rules that apply.

• Laws governing the initiative process in Massachusetts
• Initiated state statute
• Massachusetts Constitution

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