BOSTON — House lawmakers on Wednesday acted quickly along party lines to ram through a complex $18 million package of legislative, judicial,and constitutional office pay raises, marking the end of a speedy process in which Republicans appeared to be powerless in their opposition.
Each Republican amendment went down in defeat, including efforts by state Representative Jim Lyons (R-Andover) to delay the implementation of pay raises until after the 2018 elections and to cap boosts in stipends for House leaders at 4 percent, matching the constitutionally-approved pay raises awarded to the rank-and-file.
