A few weeks back, Beacon Hill democrats muscled through a fat pay increase, with an average payout of 40%. The Speaker and Senate President were the biggest winners, with with their salaries increasing by over $80,000. The pay raise scheme was passed with very little public notice. And on top of it all, for several freshmen, the pay raise vote was their first vote.
 
We caught up with one of the freshman, Senator Julian Cyr, a guy whose pay-grab salary increase is pretty astounding and asked him why he thought he should get a hefty raise. Watch our video here. For more information on how your lawmaker fared in padding his or her own pockets, see below. Here, we’ve compiled a list of what lawmakers are eligible to make for the 2017-2018 session. 

More Sunshine. Our Commonwealth needs it.
 
Each year, the National Sunlight Foundation promotes “Sunshine Week," an initiative to spark dialogue on government transparency and freedom of information. 

The Foundation's most recent grade for Massachusetts: an F. 

And although the legislative session has barely begun, MassFiscal gives the Beacon Hill bunch an “F,” too. Already, they've voted down allowing the public time to read new bills. They said no to publishing committee votes. But not every vote was a “no” vote.

The legislature voted a resounding “yes” to increasing their own pay, by 40% overall. So much about the pay hike stinks of smoky back room politics. Its emergency preamble meant retroactive cash for politicians. Money allocated to representatives and senators for travel expenses slyly traveled to an account that makes it countable when pension time rolls around. And of course, it slipped through, garnering each and every one of its votes from Democrats, the party that rules Beacon Hill with an iron fist.

Just for fun, we've put together a video featuring one first term senator who used one of his very first votes to increase his pay from $62,542 to $102,747. We hope you'll take a look.

Now, more than ever, sunshine matters in Massachusetts politics.  Check out Massfiscal’s voting scorecard at massfiscalscorecard.org to see how your lawmaker is voting on important issues.  When representatives and senators know you and I are watching, they make better choices on Beacon Hill. 
 
Let the sunshine in.

(BOSTON)--As the agency charged with regulating political donations prepares to advise the Attorney General to prosecute partners at Thornton Law Firm for violating Section 10 of campaign finance law, Paul Craney, executive director of MassFiscal, called on the Massachusetts Democrat State Committee to purge its coffers of tainted cash. 

Last October, MassFiscal called on the Office of Campaign and Political Finance to make a determination in the Thornton matter after a Globe Spotlight series outlined how the scheme worked. Partners at Thornton Law Firm contributed funds to candidates and Democrat organizations which were then reimbursed with company money. The scheme meant the dollars came from corporate coffers and were merely washed through personal accounts.

The firm is closely allied with former State Representative Garret Bradley, who served as its managing partner during the time many questionable contributions were made. When a lawmaker, Bradley was the House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Election Laws.

Craney said, "The Bradley connection gets my goat. Here's a guy who was entrusted by Speaker Robert DeLeo to build the state's campaign finance laws, and it turns out he's the fox in the henhouse."

"Michael Sullivan (OCPF director) responded quickly and appropriately to MassFiscal's complaint. The Thornton scheme may well be the most far-reaching straw donor scheme in the history of campaign finance law,” Craney said. "No good comes from holding onto tainted money. The Mass. Democratic State Committee and others who care about accountability must immediately purge their accounts of the funds. Holding onto it at this stage is the equivalent of corruption.”

Craney pointed out that several lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, who had received donations under the illegal scheme, have already gotten rid of the dirty money.

Below is the original letter sent from MassFiscal to the Director of OCPF.