The total cost of the $3,203.02 per member pay raise for the 200 legislators is $640,604 per year. Over the two-year 2009-2010 session, the cost is $1,281,208.

Patrick is required under the state constitution to determine the amount of a pay raise or pay cut that the state's 40 senators and 160 representatives will receive for the 2009-2010 session. All Massachusetts governors are obligated to increase or decrease legislative salaries biennially under the terms of a constitutional amendment approved by the voters in 1998. The amendment, approved by a better than two to one margin, requires legislative salaries to be "increased or decreased at the same rate as increases or decreases in the median household income for the commonwealth for the preceding two year period, as ascertained by the governor."

Legislators' salaries have been raised every two years since the $46,410 base pay was first raised under the constitutional amendment in 2001. The new $61,439.76 salary means that legislative salaries have been raised $15,029.76 or 32 percent since the automatic hike became part of the state constitution.

The most recent hike, prior to today, came when former Gov. Mitt Romney gave representatives and senators a 4.8 percent annual pay raise for 2007 and 2008. That $2,667.33 hike increased the base pay of $55,569.41 to $58,236.74.

At the moment, Democratic House Speaker Sal DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray also receive a $35,000 bonus for their service – boosting their salaries to $96,439.76. Republican House Minority Leader Brad Jones and Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei receive a $22,500 bonus for their service – boosting their salaries to $83,939.76.

The remaining 196 legislators currently receive the new base salary of $61,439.76.

Over the next few weeks, DiMasi, Murray, Jones and Tisei will choose their leadership teams and also appoint dozens of members to committee chairs, vice chairs and other leadership positions. At that time, these legislators will see their base pay boosted by bonuses ranging from $7,500 to $25,000.

In his official letter to State Treasurer Timothy Cahill announcing the raise, Patrick said, “As required by Article CXVlll of the Amendments to the Constitution, for the purpose of adjusting the base compensation of members of the General Court, we have ascertained, based on the federal census American Community Survey and reports of average weekly wages, that the median household income for the Commonwealth for the preceding two year period increased by 5.5 percent.