Commission Considering General Assembly Pay Increases; How Md. Pay Stacks Up to Other States

Maryland lawmakers currently earn a yearly salary of $50,330 — but that figure could be increasing soon as the General Assembly Compensation Commission considers whether to raise pay for state legislators over the next four years. That commission, which convenes every four years to decide on lawmakers’ compensation, kicked off its work with an informational meeting last week. Simon G. Powell, a budget analyst with the nonpartisan Department of Legislative Services, told commission members that lawmakers have been taking on more work in recent years despite the fact that Maryland is not considered a full-time legislature like neighboring Pennsylvania.