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The vote took place at 2 am without public review or commentary. Governor Ed Rendell signed the bill into law. The raise increased legislators' base pay from 16% to 34% depending on position
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The raise was allowing legislators to take their raises immediately in the form of "unvouchered expenses." the provision included due to the Pennsylvania Constitution's clause prohibiting legislators from taking salary increases in the same term as which they are passed.
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Pennsylvania General Assembly passed pay increases for state lawmakers, judges, and top executive-branch officials.
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State courts have ruled similar legislation to be constitutional on three separate occasions.
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Outrage over the pay raise was picked up by several influential state blogs
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The legislature repealed the pay raise after four months by a 50-0 vote in the senate a 197-1 vote in the house.
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Advocacy groups spawned several grass-roots movements, some geared toward voting out incumbents and some seeking support for a Constitutional Convention
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November 16, 2005, Governor Rendell signed a repeal of the pay raise after a near unanimous vote for repeal; only House Minority Whip Mike Veon voted against the repeal.[4]
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The first victim of the public uproar was Supreme Court Justice Russell M. Nigro who became the first Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice to be denied retention.
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Frank LaGrotta, who was defeated in the 2006 primary election over the pay raise issue, was one of many legislators who were paying back their unvouchered expenses. After pleading guilty to two counts of conflict of interest for hiring relatives as "ghost employees," he stopped repayment and was even refunded the amount that he had previously returned.
