AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A Maine committee held a public hearing on a bill that would increase compensation for the governor, lawmakers and judges.
The bill would raise the governor’s salary from $70,000 to $135,000. The salary for Maine’s governor is the lowest in the nation, and it has not changed since 1987. The bill would place Maine 35th nationally in gubernatorial compensation and on par with New Hampshire.
The bill would also increase lawmakers’ salary for the next Legislature by up to $16,000 a year, as well as adjust mileage and lodging reimbursement rates. The bill would also raise the pay of state judges by $60,000 to $70,000 a year. Maine is ranked 51st among the states and the District of Columbia in pay for general jurisdiction judges.
A spokesperson for Gov. Janet Mills told the Portland Press Herald that the governor believes the decision should be up to the Legislature. Mills has not said whether she supports the pay increase.
The Legislature’s State and Local Government Committee held the public hearing on Monday. The legislative proposal came from the bipartisan State Compensation Commission, which recommended the raises in January.
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